If you have any of this on your shelf, don’t even open the cans.

Federal health officials warned consumers Wednesday to throw away certain cans of hot dog chili sauce after the product was linked to botulism that has sent four people to the hospital.

The warning applies to 10-ounce cans of Castleberry’s, Austex and Kroger brands of hot dog chili sauce with “best by” dates from April 30, 2009, through May 22, 2009, the Food and Drug Administration said. It wasn’t immediately clear how widely the products were distributed.

Botulism is a muscle-paralyzing disease caused by a toxin made by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum, according to the CDC.

Robert Brackett, director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, urged consumers to discard any of the recalled cans without opening them.

“The toxin is so potent, if they get it on their hands or it sprays in their face, it could make them ill,” he said.

[Source: CNN]

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