California company recalls Granny Smith apples
Bidart Bros. of Bakersfield, California is recalling Granny Smith and Gala apples shipped from its Shafter, California packing facility, as part of an investigation into a disease outbreak tied to listeria contamination of caramel apples.
The Centers for Disease Control said that Bidart Bros. issued the recall January 6 because environmental testing revealed contamination with Listeria monocytogenes at the facility.
The apples are marketed under the “Granny’s Best” and “Big B” labels. CDC is urging consumers not to eat any recalled apples produced by Bidart Bros. and is asking retailers to refrain from selling or serving them. Consumers who are buying or have recently purchased Granny Smith or Gala apples should ask their retailers if the fruit came from Bidart Bros, CDC said.
Three companies had already issued voluntary recalls of caramel apples made from fruit supplied by Bidart Bros.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has also issued a recall warning for the apples. The CFIA said the recall covered all production of Granny Smith and Gala apples for 2014 from Bidart Bros. marketed under the Big B and Granny’s Best labels.
In the United States, there have been 32 illnesses reported in 11 states, including six deaths that may be linked to the caramel apples. Those 11 states are Arizona, California, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.
