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To our Valued Customers,
YOUR IMMEDIATE ACTION IS REQUIRED with this urgent product recall of
canned products that may be contaminated with botulinum toxin which
could cause botulism. The recalled products potentially pose a life
threatening hazard to health. To date, FDA & USDA have asserted that THE
RECALL HAS BEEN INEFFECTIVE as reports indicate recalled products are
still on shelves. This letter is to reiterate the urgency of complying
with the recall and to provide more detailed instructions for the
handling and disposal of the affected products. Please be advised that
it is critical that retailers adhere to the recall instructions provided
to date in an effort to ensure that all recalled products are
expeditiously removed from the marketplace and properly disposed.
Our primary focus at Castleberry’s is making sure that no potentially
contaminated products are on grocery shelves or in peoples’ homes. With
this in mind, we are directing all retailers, distributors and
wholesalers to contact your customers downstream, to ensure they are
aware of the recall and follow removal and disposal instructions.
It is imperative that smaller independent
retailers and all establishments that sell these products receive word
of the recall. If you sell and/or redistribute products included
in the recall, to any other establishment, YOU MUST CONTACT YOUR
CUSTOMERS IMMEDIATELY if you have not yet done so to advise them of this
urgent recall. Our direct customers that redistribute products have the
responsibility of notifying these accounts and obtaining confirmation
that these accounts received notification.
Forward this letter and supporting
attached documents to them immediately and confirm that they have
received the pertinent, updated information and are following all the
recall instructions. You must report back to Castleberry’s with
confirmation that the noted instructions are being followed. The
attached Destroyed Product Distribution Form will serve as verification
of compliance. FSIS and FDA will be conducting effectiveness checks to
ensure that all retailers, distributors, and wholesalers follow these
instructions. If the agencies determine that retailer, distributors, or
wholesalers are not following our instructions, the agencies could take
enforcement action against the offending company.
Furthermore, we want to provide some information and guidance on two
critical items, as well as share what the company is doing throughout
the recall in terms of outreach and support.
1. Updated UPC Codes
In our last customer letter dated July 21, we provided a complete list of
the expanded recall products that included product descriptions, product
sizes and UPC label (can) codes for every item. Going through the recall
process, it was identified that 5 of the product UPC codes were CASE UPC
codes. While efforts continue to stress the
importance of relying on product name and can size for the identification
and removal of recalled product, we wanted to make available a
summary document that includes both UPC case and label codes for all the
recalled products. The 5 specific products are highlighted on the
attached UPC Code Summary document and include: Morton House Chili With
Beans 1 5oz (sub identifier contains Beef and Chicken); Parmount Chili No
Beans 1 5oz; Paramount Chili With Beans 15oz; Prudence Corned Beef Hash
15oz; Southern Home Corned Beef Hash 15oz. Please pass along the additional
information just to make sure all retail locations are looking for the
product names and can sizes included in the recall.
2. Product Disposal and Handling
Instruction
There has been some confusion about how the recalled products should be
handled and disposed of. We strongly urge you to reference the recall list
and immediately remove any products bearing the noted product description
and can sizes from your store shelves. We can assist with the disposal of
these products. Products must be isolated from other stock, secured, and
tagged while being held for pick-up. Less than case quantities should be
double bagged, placed in a box, sealed, and tagged with a hold tag. Please
call our recall coordinator for this project, Carolina Supply Chain Services
(CSCS) via phone at (800)821-5293; email at
sarah.joyner@inmar.com; or fax
at (336)499-8603. CSCS will arrange for immediate collection. If leaving a
message, please be sure to leave your name, phone number, and pick-up
location address. Click here for detailed Collection, Storage and Disposal
Protocol instructions to prepare product for pick-up.
You may also dispose of these products immediately by double bagging
recalled products and placing them in a covered, secured dumpster destined
for the landfill. Product should not be crushed, punctured, salvaged or
donated. Please refer to the
FDA July 26
press release and go to the following Web sites for further important,
detailed disposal and handling instructions:
In regards to reimbursements and destruction of products, you may access
this information by clicking on the following links. The procedures outlined
in these documents need to be followed in order for reimbursements to be
processed:
Important Note: If you encounter
swollen, bulging or leaking cans, it is imperative that you take extreme
caution. The individual handling the disposal should put on gloves and eye
protection before double bagging and disposing of the cans. Slowly remove
gloves and dispose of after use. They should wash hands with soap and
running water for at least 2 minutes. Further details concerning the
handling and disposal as outlined by the
FDA and
CDC.
3. Other Updates In addition to the above
points of clarification, some other developments with the recall are as
follows:
- Suspended Plant Operations—On
July 21, Castleberry’s ceased production in its Augusta, Ga., plant,
where it is suspected that there was a processing issue on one of our
canning lines. Again, we continue to work with the FDA and USDA, as well
as thermal processing and food production specialists, to investigate
and correct any production issues in order to make every effort to get
our production “back up” and begin supplying commerce to you, our
customers.
- RMX “Blitz” Team Deployed—Some
of your stores may already have been visited by representatives of our
store recall “check and audit” team to confirm removal of products from
shelves. This team will continue to make visits to customers throughout
the country over the coming days to assist in efficiently managing the
recall at store level, and report to the authorities on the rate at
which products are being cleared. We ask for your cooperation please in
allowing the RMX representatives to enter your stores and assist in this
effort.
- During our daily working sessions
with FDA and USDA, concern has been expressed that recalled products are
still being found on store shelves. Please ensure that all products have
been removed. For distributors and wholesalers, please contact your
retail customers to ensure that their respective stores are complying
with this recall.
4. Information
You’ll appreciate that access to information is critical during this recall.
Here are information resources for your reference:
- If any of your consumers have questions regarding products
they have purchased or eaten, please direct them to the Castleberry’s
consumer hotline at (800) 203-4412 to answer their questions.
- Moreover, we have posted, and continue to update, detailed
information on this website.
- Any media requests regarding the recall and Castleberry’s can be
directed to Della Sweetman, Fleishman-Hillard at (619) 200-0436 or Doug
McGraw, Fleishman-Hillard at (212) 453-2202. Due to the volume of calls
from the media, we are asking customers to contact Fleishman Hillard
only for media related issues.
- Any other questions and answers should be directed to your
respective Regional Sales Vice President handling Castleberry’s
products.
Castleberry’s is working hand-in-hand with the FDA, USDA and Centers for
Disease Control (CDC) around the clock at our facility in Augusta, Ga. and
in the field to investigate the specific details of the recall. While this
investigation is not complete, we continue to believe the problem was
isolated to one of our Augusta production lines which involved an equipment
malfunction. This was the basis for deciding to expand the recall on July
21, in order to widen the margin of safety to the public.
We will continue to update you as further information becomes available.
Should you have any other questions, please contact your respective Region
Sales Vice President directly.
Thank you for your continued efforts through this period.
Links:
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