FDA Warns Consumers about Risk of Botulism Poisoning from Hot Dog Sauce

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to eat 10-ounce cans of Castleberry’s Hot Dog Chili Sauce (UPC 3030000101), Austex Hot Dog Chili Sauce (UPC 3030099533), and Kroger Hot Dog Chili Sauce (UPC 1111083942) with “best by” dates from April 30, 2009 through May 22, 2009 due to possible botulism contamination.

Two children in Texas and an Indiana couple who ate these products became seriously ill and have been hospitalized, the agency said in a release.

All of the above products are manufactured by the Castleberry Food Company in Augusta, Ga.

Castleberry has informed FDA that it is voluntarily recalling all of the potentially contaminated products and is cooperating with FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the states’ active investigations into the cause of this contamination and scope of the products’ distribution. 

Botulism can be fatal. Symptoms of botulism poisoning can begin from 6 hours to 2 weeks after eating food that contains the toxin. Symptoms may include double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and muscle weakness that moves progressively down the body, affecting the shoulders first then descending to the upper arms, lower arms, thighs, calves, etc. Botulism poisoning can also cause paralysis of the breathing muscles which can result in death unless assistance with breathing (mechanical ventilation) is provided.