The recall of a tuna brand was expanded this week after company leaders discovered quarantined cases were accidentally shipped to retail stores in eight states.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the second recall on Jan. 19, urging consumers not to eat certain cans of Genova® yellowfin tuna even if they do not look or smell spoiled.
The potential to be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum led Tri-Union Seafoods to reissue a recall for 5-ounce cans of Genova Yellowfin Tuna in Olive Oil in a 4-pack and 5-ounce cans of Genova Yellowfin Tuna in Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Sea Salt, according to the Jan. 19 FDA alert.
“The initial voluntary recall was conducted following notification from our supplier that the easy open pull tab can lid on limited products had a manufacturing defect that may compromise the integrity of the product seal especially over time, causing it to leak, or worse, be contaminated with clostridium botulinum, a potentially fatal form of food poisoning,” FDA officials said.
The FDA describes Botulism as a potentially fatal form of food poisoning that can cause general weakness, dizziness, double-vision, and trouble speaking or swallowing, as well as breathing difficulty, muscle weakness, abdominal distension, and constipation.
The quarantined tuna was distributed to Meijer retail stores in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin, as well as Giant Foods retail stores in Maryland and Virginia. In California, the impacted products were distributed to Safeway, Albertsons, Vons, and Pavilions.
“This current recall was initiated after Tri-Union Seafoods discovered that quarantined cases, associated with the initial recall, were inadvertently shipped by a third-party distributor,” FDA officials said.
Tri-Union Seafoods company leaders did not respond to requests for comment.
In February 2025, the FDA announced the recall of Genova Solid White Tuna in Olive Oil in 5 ounce cans, 7-ounce cans of Genova Yellowfin Tuna in Olive Oil in a 6-pack, Genova Yellowfin Tuna in Olive Oil in 5-ounce cans, Van Camp’s 5-ounce Solid Light Tuna in Oil, Van Camp’s 5-ounce Solid Light Tuna in Oil in a 6-pack, Trader Joe’s Solid Light Yellowfin Tuna in Olive Oil, Trader Joe’s Solid White Tuna in Olive Oil, Trader Joe’s Solid White Tuna in Water, Trader Joe’s Solid White Water Low Sodium, Trader Joe’s Solid White Water No Salt Added, and 5-ounce H-E-B Solid White Tuna in Water in a 4-pack.
“You can’t reliably sniff-test botulism risk,” Cape Crystal Brands food science consultant Ed McCormick told NTD. “This kind of recall doesn’t mean tuna is sketchy. It means packaging and handling controls failed somewhere in the chain.”
Dining and Cooking