US food company recalls “Fiesta Corn” from Guyana, other Caribbean countries

The US company Del Monte Foods has recalled over 60,000 cases of incompletely sterilised canned corn from eight countries in the Region.
The Caribbean countries affected by the recall of Del Monte “Fiesta Corn” are Guyana, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Haiti, Aruba, St Lucia, and Suriname.
The other countries are El Salvador, Uruguay and Panama.
The company says the recall is specific to Del Monte “Fiesta Corn” only and not any of its other corn and food products. The company warns that the product could cause life-threatening illness if consumed.
The US Food and Drug Administration said the recall of 64,242 cases of the “Fiesta Corn” seasoned with red and green peppers were due to under-processing.
It said the missed steps from the commercial sterilisation process could result in spoilage and possible contamination with life-threatening pathogens, if eaten, Del Monte warned.
There have not been any reports of illness as a result of the products, the company added. It said a central concern with under-processing canned food is the potential growth of bacteria, including clostridium botulinum, which creates toxins that cause botulism poisoning, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. (CMC)