SEQUIM — An Oregon-based cannery has issued a voluntary recall on cans of albacore tuna processed for Dungeness Seaworks of Sequim due to possible contamination with bacteria that can cause botulism.
A U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspection did not find the bacteria, clostridium botulinum, said Mark Kujala, owner of Skipanon Brand Seafood, located in Warrenton, Ore., and no illnesses had been reported as of Thursday.
‘Best by’ 2017
The recall affects Dungeness Seaworks cans labeled “Hand-packed & Canned by Skipanon Brand” that were packaged last summer, said Allan and Karla Richardson, owners of Dungeness Seaworks.
The cans are stamped on the bottom with a “best by” date of 2017, Karla Richardson said.
“It only affected one year of our product of tuna fish” and affects no other Dungeness Seaworks product, she said.
The recall, which affects all products canned by Skipanon, was initiated after a routine FDA inspection that began in late August and spanned several weeks, Kujala said.
“It was brought to our attention there might be an issue with record-keeping and underprocessing. Those are the concerns,” he said.
The company has “pulled everything with our label on it at this time,” he said.
An FDA media representative contacted Thursday forwarded all inquiries to Skipanon.
Botulism is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. It can be fatal.
Online sales, too
Skipanon distributes its canned seafood mostly in Washington and Oregon, although there are online sales conducted as well, Kujala said.
“We will be contacting our online customers as well,” he said. “We are taking this very seriously, and we want to make sure our response is an efficient one.”
According to the owners of Dungeness Seaworks, tuna canned for them by Skipanon is sold at Nash’s Organic Produce, the Port Angeles Farmers Market and the Poulsbo Farmers Market.
The tuna cans have a shelf life of three years, said Allan Richardson. Tuna canned this summer has not been distributed, he said.
The affected cans have been pulled from the shelves at Nash’s, said Jeremy Buggy, a store associate, on Thursday.
He said the store is offering a full refund for those who return the affected product.
A return policy is not set in place at this time for those who bought the tuna elsewhere, Karla Richardson said.
“I have no way of collecting it,” she said. “What I am asking people to do is take it off their shelves. Don’t consume it.”
Keeping the public informed about the recall “is the No. 1 priority to protect the consumer,” Allan Richardson added.
FDA inspecting cannery
FDA inspectors were at the Skipanon cannery Thursday to help develop a recall plan, Kujala said.
“This is new for us, and overwhelming. We are a small business and just trying to get everything square,” he said.
The company employs four full-time workers, with about four seasonal employees added during the summer canning season, he said.
Fresh-caught, flash-frozen fish harvested by Dungeness Seaworks is not contaminated and remains available, Karla Richardson said.
The fish, including salmon, tuna and other species, is caught wild in the Pacific Ocean aboard the FV Saint Jude, a 46-foot aluminum vessel built in 1990 that is based in Port Angeles Marina.
The fish is sold off the boat, docked on the west side of the marina, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
For more information, call 360-683-2898 or visit www.freshfrozenfish.net.
For more information about what Skipanon Brand Seafood products are being recalled, email recallskipanonbrand@gmail.com.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.
