Tons of Apples Are Being Recalled Due to Listeria Contamination
Six different varieties could be contaminated. Here's what you need to know.
An apple a day might keep the doctor away, but that’s only if it’s safe to eat them. And for apple lovers in eight states, that’s anything but a given.
North Bay Produce, a Traverse City, Michigan-based agricultural cooperative with growers in North, Central, and South America, just issued a voluntary recall of 2,297 cases and two bulk bins of apples. Affected varieties are McIntosh, Jonathan, Fuji, Jonamac, Red Delicious, and the uber-popular Honeycrisp.
They could potentially be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria that can cause fever, severe headaches, nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and stiffness. According to the CDC, 1,600 people a year get listeriosis and 260 of them die from the infection. Young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems are especially susceptible. Listeria infection is also particularly harmful to pregnant women, as it can cause miscarriages and stillbirths.
All of the fruit was shipped between October 16 and 21 to Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin. They were sold in plastic bags, paper totes, trays, and even in bulk both unbranded and with the brand names Great Lakes and North Bay Produce Pure Michigan.
Full details about the affected products are available on North Bay’s website.
If you have any of the tainted apples, you should immediately throw them away or return them to the place of purchase. If you’ve eaten them, you should contact your doctor.
As of now, no illnesses have been attributed to these apples.
