Extra proteins, Reminded me of this:
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July 5, 2010
Sandeep Sequeira got the shock of his life when he opened a can of beans and found a lizard in it.
Man shocked to find half a lizard in can of baked beans from Dubai store
Authorities act after man finds lizard in can of beans from a store in Bur Dubai
Nothing can put you off your meal more than opening a can of beans and finding something staring back at you from inside the tin.
For Sandeep Sequeira that nightmare was all too true. He had bought a can of Kimball baked beans from a grocery store in Bur Dubai on Wednesday morning.
"When I got home I opened the can and I spotted something weird. So I took a spoon, placed the spoon under what was bothering me and lifted the spoon. It was half a lizard."
"I was lucky enough that it was right on top of the can. I was going to eat half the can only. I can only imagine if it was at the bottom of the can."
He adds that the can didn't seem damaged in any way.
Other weird things that found their way into people's food
Sequeira contacted the municipality and a food inspector was sent to investigate the matter.
"The inspector met with me and took the can and the lizard so that they can test it," Sequeira said.
"We have already pulled all Kimball baked bean cans with the same manufacture date and lot number as the one found to be contaminated," Ahmad Al Ali, head of the Food Inspection Section at Dubai Municipality, told
Gulf News on Sunday.
"We were very surprised to see this kind of contamination in food products. It was fortunate that this was a contaminant that could be seen with the naked eye. However, such contaminants are very difficult to detect through port inspections," Al Ali said.
He said the municipality takes samples of imported food products to test before releasing the shipment.
"To detect something like this you'd have to open every can."
Al Ali went on to say that they have contacted the regional supplier of Kimball foods to explain how the lizard ended up in the can.
"We have also asked that we be supplied with a report of a full health and safety inspection of the Kimball factory in Malaysia, as well as evidence of improvement to ensure that there is no repeat of this kind of contamination."
Choithrams is the regional supplier for Kimball foods. Attempts by Gulf News to contact them went unanswered.
"I'm just letting people know about this. It's your job to tell your friends about this, because the other half of the lizard might be in their can," Sequeira said.
"The baked beans were cooked and canned in Malaysia, so the bottom half of the lizard might be anywhere in the world right now," he added.
The contaminated can was produced on January 13, 2010 and expires on July 13, 2011.
Tainted cans
If one comes across this batch of beans, please contact Dubai Municipality on 800900.
Taking precautions: House lizard ‘not toxic'
Eating food with a dead lizard is not poisonous and you do not die consuming such contaminated food, doctors said.
"Canned food is usually cooked in high temperature and will kill off any toxins," said Dr Lalit Uchil, specialist family physician at the Welcare Ambulatory Care Centre. "The stories you hear about people dying after eating food with a dead lizard is only anecdotal," he said. The lizard found in the can is apparently the common house lizard variety. While these are not poisonous, the live lizards are likely to carry certain bacteria which can cause salmonella, which results in vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach cramps. That is why it is necessary to wash hands when you touch a house lizard.
Man shocked to find half a lizard in can of baked beans from Dubai store | GulfNews.com
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July 6, 2010
Food manufacturer Kimball has sent its own quality control officers to investigate the case of a lizard found in one can of their baked beans.
"The fact Kimball has sent a team of quality control officers to Dubai to investigate this matter shows just how committed it is to improving the standards, if it is possible to improve them," Wickus Saunders, COO of Choithrams, told
Gulf News.
He added that Choithrams' role is to facilitate between Kimball and Dubai Municipality officials.
Examination
Malaysian-based Kimball has released the following statement through its regional supplier Choithrams:
"Kimball is committed to public safety and has a series of rigorous, audited measures in place to minimise the risk of product contamination at each step of its manufacturing process.
"Kimball baked beans are manufactured in a facility that is HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) and ISO 9001:2000 accredited.
"Following the report of a piece of foreign material found in one can of Kimball baked beans, the company has:
"Met with Dubai Municipality to reassure them of our world-class manufacturing processes and our commitment to public safety.
"Requested an examination of the foreign material to facilitate the completion of a full and thorough investigation.
"Through our distributor initiated a process to remove any remaining cans of Kimball baked beans with the same batch code from retail shelves.
"Announces that if one comes across this batch (P 13/1/2010 E 13/7/2011), please contact 04-3474574.
"The company apologises for any distress this experience may have caused and confirms no other complaints of a similar nature have been received."
Recall
"Kimball has not had a chance to examine the foreign material; the municipality is still conducting tests on it in its own labs. Obtaining the material is critical for the forensic investigation to find out where in the production stage the contamination happened," said Saunders.
"We have recalled all Kimball baked beans with the same batch code from shelves throughout the GCC.
"Consumers who happen to have an item from this batch can contact us through the number provided, Choithrams will gladly reimburse or replace the item as per the customer's request."
Kimball sends team to investigate lizard in can of beans | GulfNews.com
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6 July 2010
Company recalls baked bean cans
The manufacturer of the canned product Kimball Baked Beans has recalled cans bearing the production date 13/01/10 and expiry date 13/07/11 in the GCC after a Dubai resident found half of a dead lizard in a can from the same batch recently bought by him.
The product recall in the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman follows an order from Dubai Municipality to withdraw the cans from the same batch in Dubai, confirmed Wickus Saunders, COO of Choithrams, the regional distributors for Kimball products manufactured by Campbell’s Malaysia.
Ahmed Abdelrahman Al Ali, Head of Food Inspection Section at the Food Control Department at the Municipality told
Khaleej Times that the civic body asked the local supplier of the product to withdraw the cans under the same batch after receiving the complaint on June 29.
The municipality has asked its inspectors to watch out for the product in retails stores and also requested the public to notify its call centre on 800900 if they find the product from the same batch in any of the shops.
“Through our distributors, we have initiated a process to remove any remaining cans of Kimball Baked Beans with the same batch code from retail shops,” the company said. It also urged consumers in the UAE to contact 04-3474574 if they come across the product under the same batch.
The company apologised for “any distress this experience may have caused” and confirmed that no other case of similar nature has been received.
Company recalls baked bean cans