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New Era Canning Company Recalls Canned Beans Products Due To Possible Clostridium Botulinum (C. botulinum) Contamination

January 22, 2008

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers about a potential C. botulinum contamination of canned beans manufactured by New Era Canning Company, New Era, Michigan. C. botulinum is the bacterium that causes botulism, which can be fatal.

The recall is for large institutionalized-sized cans, averaging 6 pounds in weight. Approximately 26 brands and 63 products were distributed to retailers, restaurants, schools, food service institutions and other facilities nationwide under various labeled brands. The list of recalled products includes cans of cut green beans, Mexican-style chili beans, dark red kidney beans, and garbanzo beans.

Please refer to the FDA for specific recalled product information including pictures of food labels, brand names, UPC codes, and advice on how to properly segregate and dispose of the recalled product. The Department of Consumer Protection (DCP), Food & Standard Division is aware of the recall and should be contacted at 860-713-6160 for additional information and follow-up.

The following products are subject to recall:

Bunny brand, distributed by Bunn Capitol Co., Springfield, IL
▪ Blue Lake mixed and shortcut green beans (green beans, water, salt) in 6 lb. 5 oz. cans (UPC 6444500193)

Classic Sysco brand, distributed by Sysco Corp,. Houston, TX
▪ Blue Lake cut green beans, 3 sieve (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz. (6 lb. 5 oz) cans (UPC 7486510779)
▪ Blue Lake cut green beans, 4 sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz. (6 lb. 5 oz.) cans (UPC 7486510487)
▪ Garbanzo beans (garbanzo beans, water, salt, calcium chloride, EDTA) in 108.0 oz. (6 lb. 12 oz.) cans (UPC 7486510484)

Code brand, distributed by Code, Atlanta, GA
▪ Mixed & short cut green beans (green beans, water, salt) in 6 lb. 5 oz. cans (UPC 1207310120)
▪ Fancy garbanzo beans without sulfites (garbanzo beans, water, salt, disodium EDTA) in 6 lb. 14 oz. cans (UPC 1207316120)

ComSource brand, distributed by ComSource, Atlanta, GA
▪ Blue Lake cut green beans (green beans, water, salt) in 6 lb. 5 oz. cans (UPC 5254952333)
▪ Blue Lake cut green beans, 3 sieve, (green beans, water, salt in 6 lb. 5 oz. cans (UPC 5254952321)

ComSource Medallion Premium Quality brand, distributed by ComSource, Atlanta, GA
▪ Fancy Blue Lake cut green beans, 4 sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 6 lb. 5 oz. cans (UPC 5254952325)

ComSource Merit Excellence Food Service brand, distributed by ComSource, Atlanta, GA
▪ Cut Blue Lake green beans, 5 sieve (green beans, water, salt) in 6 lb. 5 oz. cans (UPC 5254952327)
▪ Fancy Blue Lake cut green beans, 4 sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 6 lb. 5 oz. cans (UPC 5254952325)

ComSource Traditional brand, distributed by ComSource, Atlanta, GA
▪ Blue Lake cut green beans, mixed and short cut (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz. (6 lb. 5 oz.) cans (UPC 4820067373)
▪ Cut Blue Lake green beans, 4 sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 6 lb. 5 oz. cans (UPC 5254952427)
▪ Cut Blue Lake green beans, 5 sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 6 lb. 5 oz. cans (UPC 5254952429)

Frosty Acres Restaurant's Pride Preferred brand, packed for F.A.B., Inc., Alpharetta, GA
▪ Fancy Cut Blue Lake Green Beans, 3 sieve (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz. (6 lb. 5 oz.) cans (UPC 4820067373)
▪ Cut Blue Lake green beans, 4 sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz. (6 lb. 5 oz.) cans (UPC 4820067445)
▪ Blue Lake cut green beans, 5 sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz. (6 lb. 5 oz.) cans (UPC 4820067451)
▪ Fancy cut Blue Lake green beans (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz. (6 lb. 5 oz.) cans (UPC 4820067339)
▪ Fancy cut Blue Lake green beans, 4 sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz. (6 lb. 5 oz.) cans (UPC 4820067446)
▪ Mixture of Blue Lake short cut, cut green beans (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz. (6 lb. 5 oz.) cans (UPC 4820068464)
▪ Fancy garbanzos "chick pea" (garbanzo beans, water, salt, calcium chloride, disodium EDTA) in 111 oz. (6 lb. 15 oz. cans (UPC 4820068264)

GFS brand, distributed by Gordon Food Service, Grand Rapids, MI
▪ Fancy Blue Lake cut green beans, 4 sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 6 lb. 5 oz. cans, reorder no. 118737 (UPC 9390111873)
▪ Blue Lake Cut Green Beans, mixed sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 6 lb. 5 oz. cans, reorder no. 118737 (UPC 9390127385)
▪ Fancy Mexican Style Chili Beans in 6 lb. 12 oz. cans, GFS Reorder #192015, UPC 9390119201. The recall is limited to 43 cases of product with 6 cans per case of lot number 00249 5AJ6LC with a 4 digit time stamp number ranging from 2113 through 2235 printed on the end of the can after the lot number (For example: 00249 5AJ6LC2113)

Goodtaste brand, distributed by New Era Canning Co., New Era, MI
▪ Cut green beans (green beans, water, salt) in 6 lb. 5 oz. cans (UPC 3683512340)

Great Value
▪ Dark Red Kidney Beans in 15.5 oz. cans, UPC 7874237085. This recall is limited to 12 cases with 12 cans per case with log number 00249 CKJ6LD printed on the end of the can

Harvest Value brand, distributed by U.S. Food Service, Columbia, MD
▪ Cut green beans, mixed and short cut, (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz. (6 lb. 5 oz) cans, 173619 (UPC 5810803534)
▪ Cut green beans (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz. (6 lb. 5 oz.) cans, 170524 (UPC 5810801047)
▪ Cut green beans, short cut (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz. (6 lb. 5 oz.) cans, 173349 (UPC 5810803538)

Kitchen brand, distributed by Potato Products, Detroit, MI
▪ 5 sieve - EX.-STD. cut Blue Lake green beans (green beans, water, salt) in 6 lb. 6 oz. cans (no UPC code)

Kitchen brand, distributed by North Oakland Commodities, Grand Blanc, Michigan
▪ Cut green beans, mixed sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in a 6 lb. 6 oz. cans, reorder no. 156337 (UPC 9390115633)

Kitchen Essentials brand, distributed by Gordon Food Service, Grand Rapids, MI
▪ Cut green beans, mixed sieve (green beans, water, salt) in 6 lb. 6 oz. cans, reorder no. 156337 (UPC 9390115633)

Monarch brand, distributed by Reid, Murdoch & Co., Columbia, MD
▪ Extra Fancy Blue Lake cut green beans, 4 sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz. (6 lb. 5 oz.) cans (UPC 5810811196)
▪ Fancy Blue Lake cut green beans, 3 sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz. (6 lb. 5 oz.) cans, 170672 (UPC 5810801040)

Monarch Premium brand, packed for PYA/Monarch, Inc., Greenville, SC
▪ Fancy Blue Lake cut green beans, 3 sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 6 lb. 5 oz. cans, 173205 (No UPC code)

Mount Stirling brand, distributed by Pocahonta Foods, USA , Richmond, VA
▪ Blue Lake cut green beans, 5 sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz. (6 lb. 5 oz.) cans (UPC 4156033379)

Necco brand, packed by New Era Canning Co., New Era, MI
▪ Cut green beans (green beans, water, salt) in 6 lb. 6 oz. cans (UPC 3683513340)

New Era brand, distributed by New Era Canning Co., New Era, MI
▪ Veri-Green cut green beans (green beans, water, salt, zinc chloride) in 102 oz. (6 lb. 6 oz.) cans (No UPC code)
▪ Cut green beans (green beans, water, salt) in 108 oz. (6 lb. 12 oz.) cans (UPC 3683511640)
▪ Cut Blue Lake green beans, no salt added, (green beans, water) in 102 oz. (6 lb. 6 oz.) cans (No UPC code)
▪ Garbanzo beans (garbanzo beans, water, salt, calcium chloride, EDTA) in 108.0 oz. (6 lb. 12 oz.) cans (UPC 6383511684)

Nugget brand, distributed by Nugget, Atlanta, GA
▪ Green beans 4 sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz. (6 lb. 5 oz.) cans (UPC 4410540023)
▪ Cut Blue Lake green beans, 5 sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 6 lb. 5 oz. cans (UPC 4410501930)
▪ Veri-Green cut green beans (green beans, water, salt, zinc chloride) in 6 lb. 12 oz. cans (UPC 4410502101)
▪ Mixed short cut green beans (green beans, water, salt) in 6 lb. 5 oz. cans (UPC 4410518838)
▪ Blue Lake cut green beans, 4 sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz. (6 lb. 5 oz.) cans (UPC 4156010280)

Pocahontas brand, distributed by Pocahontas Foods USA, Richmond, VA
▪ Fancy Blue Lake cut green beans, 4 sieve, (Blue Lake green beans, water, salt), 10282, in 6 lb. 5 oz. cans (UPC 4156010282)
▪ Fancy long cut green beans (green beans, water, salt) in 6 lb. 5 oz. cans (UPC 4156010325)
▪ Fancy Blue Lake green beans, 3 sieve, (Blue Lake green beans, water, salt), 10280, in 6 lb. 5 oz. cans (UPC 4156010280)

Reliance Sysco, distributed by Sysco Corporation, Houston, TX
▪ Mixed cut green beans (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz. (6 lb. 5 oz.) cans (UPC 7486512175)
▪ Blue Lake cut green beans, 4 sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz. (6 lb. 5 oz.) cans. (UPC 7486512172
▪ Blue Lake cut green beans, 5 sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz. (6 lb. 5 oz.) cans (UPC 7486512174)

Sysco brand, distributed by Sysco Corporation, Houston, TX
▪ 5096342 Imperial Blue Lake cut green beans, 3 sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 6 lb. 5 oz. cans (UPC 7486512136)
▪ 5096359 Imperial Blue Lake cut green beans, 4 sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 6 lb. 5 oz. cans (UPC 7486512137)

US brand, distributed by U.S. FoodService, Columbia, MD
▪ Cut green beans, mixed sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz. (6 lb. 5 oz.) cans 171132 (UPC 5810801048)
▪ Fancy Blue Lake cut green beans, 3 sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz. (6 lb. 5 oz.) cans, 173416 (UPC 5810811195)
▪ Fancy Blue Lake cut green beans, 3 sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz. (6 lb. 5 oz.) cans, 170672 (UPC 5810801040)
▪ Fancy Blue Lake cut green beans, 4 sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz. (6 lb. 5 oz.) cans, 170232 (UPC 5810801041)
▪ Cut green beans, 5 sieve, (green beans, water, salt) in 101 oz (6 lb. 5 oz.) cans, 170675 (UPC 5810801042)

USDA, Food and Nutrition Service, Special Nutrition Programs, Alexandra, VA label
▪ Cut green beans, (green beans, water, salt) in 6 lb. oz. cans (UPC 1500101061)
▪ Garbanzo beans (garbanzo beans, water, salt, calcium chloride, EDTA) in 6 lb. 12 oz. cans (UPC 1500101089)

Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.

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