A seafood company in New Jersey issued a recall of nearly 333 pounds of tuna distributed across five states. Health officials discovered high levels of a toxin linked to histamine poisoning.
Videos by Wide Open Country
The Recall Was Initiated in July
As reported by the New York Post, Buckhead Meat Company, doing business as Trinity Seafood, voluntarily launched the recall on July 24. It comes after the New Jersey Department of Health told the company that two tuna samples tested positive for high levels of scombrotoxin.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), scrombrotoxin poisoning, or histamine fish poisoning, is a food illness. It is caused by consuming marine fish that have undergone partial bacterial spoilage. Certain fish can develop elevated histamine levels when improperly refrigerated or exposed to unsafe temperatures.
Symptoms of scrombrotoxin poisoning can appear within minutes or hours of consuming the tainted food. They resemble an allergic reaction and include facial flushing, sweating, dizziness, nausea, headache, hives, and abdominal cramps.
In severe cases, blurred vision, respiratory distress, and swelling of the tongue can also occur.
Where Was the Affected Fish Sold?
Eight weeks after Buckhead Meat Company initiated the action, the FDA then classified the action as a Class II recall on Sep. 16. The FDA uses this classification when a recalled product may cause a temporary or medically reversible health problem. The likelihood of serious harm is remote.
The recall is currently ongoing. Also, no termination date has been posted and no press release has been issued. The FDA also lists no update history for the product.
Records show that the tuna affected by the recall was distributed in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
The 332.9 pounds of recalled product were packed in Styrofoam containers marked "Keep Refrigerated." The tuna was sold in 10-, 12-, 15-, and 3-to-5-pound cases.
The product features the code 0004255 and a series of "Vat" identifiers on its packaging. These include 59-01915, 58-11212, 59-01914, 58-11210, 58-11213, 59-01930, and 59-01570.
The federal record also lists 58-11210 a second time. It also contains an apparently incomplete identifier, "59-0."
