Washington, D.C. ? Federal health officials warned consumers Wednesday to throw away certain cans of hot dog chili sauce after the product was linked to the first cases of botulism in commercially canned foods in decades.

Four people were hospitalized. 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.

The contamination by the toxin is extremely rare for a commercially canned product. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention medical epidemiologist Dr. Michael Lynch said the last such U.S. case dates to the 1970s. The roughly 25 cases reported each year typically involved home-canned foods, Lynch said.

The products were made by the Castleberry Food Co., owned by Bumble Bee Seafoods LLC, based in San Diego.

The recall covers: Castleberry’s Hot Dog Chili Sauce (UPC 3030000101); Austex Hot Dog Chili Sauce (UPC 3030099533); and Kroger Hot Dog Chili Sauce (UPC 1111083942).