Canadian health officials issue a recall of homemade mustard relish due to botulism risk.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued a recall warning of HardyWares Preserves Mustard Relish brand packaged on Dec. 3, 2015 after test results showed that the product can cause potential growth of Clostridium botulinum, a motile bacterium that can produce neurotoxin botulinum.
CFIA advised consumers to dispose unfinished product or return it to the store where it was purchased. The agency warned against the consumption of the said product.
Clostridium botulinum-contaminated foods may still look safe to eat as it will not smell or look spoiled but it can cause botulism. Symptoms of botulism include blurred vision, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, dry mouth, dizziness, paralysis, respiratory failure, and in some cases, even death.
So far, there have been no reported illnesses.
HardyWares Preserves, owned by Nova Scotia couple Larry and Margaret Hardy, sells homemade mustard relish along with jellies and jams that they make in their home kitchen. The recall came after they voluntarily sent seven types of products to a food safety lab at Dalhousie University. The couple says they are surprised by the recall.
"It was a shock, an absolute shock. Because we've had nothing of this nature before," said Larry Hardy. He clarified that no botulism toxin was found in their products, but the agency noted that the level of acidity of the relish was too low and that might cause the bacteria to grow. He admitted that he might have overlooked it and was not able to put enough vinegar into the product.
Larry Hardy asked their consumers to return the products to them or to the CFIA. About 10 of the 21 jars sold are yet to be accounted for. He said they sold it at the Alderney Landing Farmer's Market.
"We would never do anything to hurt anyone - our customers are everything to us at the market, we love going there," he said.
The couple have been making preserves for eight years but only registered as a business two years ago. Despite the recall, the Hardys are still planning on expanding their business by selling to bigger stores.
Around the same time last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued tips on how to safely and accurately preserve food following a botulism outbreak in New Mexico and Ohio that killed one person and caused serious illness in 20 individuals.
