Listeria outbreak that killed three is traced to California apple supplier
Source: Washington Post
Health officials have traced an outbreak of listeria in pre-packaged caramel apples that killed three people and sickened 29 more to a California apple distributor, the Food and Drug Administration announced Saturday.
The distributor, Bidart Brothers of Bakersfield has recalled all Granny Smith and Gala apples shipped from its Shafter, Calif. packing plant and still available for sale anywhere. The last shipment of Granny Smith apples from the facility went out on Dec. 2, the company said in a news release.
Three companies that make packaged caramel apples--Happy Apple Co. of Washington, Mo.; California Snack Foods, of El Monte, Calif.; and Merb’s Candies of St. Louis, Mo.--have previously recalled those products. There is no evidence of listeria in hand-dipped caramel apples, such as those available at fairs.
The FDA said tests of the listeria bacteria collected at the Bidart Brothers facility showed that it matched strains isolated from people who fell ill during the outbreak. Additional tests found listeria on Bidart Brothers whole apples collected along the company's distribution chain.
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Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/01/10/listeria-outbreak-that-killed-three-is-traced-to-california-apple-supplier/
By Lenny Bernstein January 10 at 4:21 PM
