The Food and Drug Administration's role in the canned salmon recalls of 1982

The Alaska salmon industry conducted 9 recalls of 7 3/4-oz cans of salmon in 1982 after a 7 3/4-oz can of Alaskan salmon was implicated in illness and one death in Belgium from Clostridium botulinum type E toxin. By the code number on the can, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Seattle District, traced it to a specific salmon packer. Subsequently, the FDA received a report about a defect in the can. Investigation of the salmon packer's plant by the Agency revealed that the equipment used at the plant to reform the cans--which arrived at the cannery in a nearly flattened state--might have been responsible for the defect. The death and illness in Belgium, combined with the results of the FDA inspection of the plant implicated in the Belgian incident, provided strong evidence of the existence of a hazardous situation that might have widespread adverse health effects. The Food and Drug Administration therefore requested the firm to recall its 1980 and 1981 production of salmon packaged in 7 3/4-oz cans. The Agency then began an investigation of all U.S. salmon packed inn cans of this size that had been reformed on the equipment implicated in the can defect. Of 300,000 cans examined, 22 with the defect were found. As additional firms were identified as having used the defective cans, subsequent recalls were initiated.