Michigan produce company North Bay Produce has recalled almost 2,300 cases of fresh apples due to a possible contamination with listeria.
According to North Bay Produce, the recall includes branded bags of Red Delicious, McIntosh, Honeycrisp, Fuji, Jonathan and Jonamac apples and in non-branded white and plastic bags.
The recall for possible listeria contamination affects varieties the company shipped between October 16 and 21 to Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin. The produce company decided to issue the recall after it discovered listeria monocytogenes in the produce after it had shipped.
Despite the discovery, there have been no reports of consumers getting sick.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the listeria bacterial infection primarily affects pregnant women, older adults and newborns. People with weakened immune systems are also vulnerable to listeria food poisoning. Similar to other food-borne illnesses, symptoms can cause fever and diarrhea.
Pregnant women usually experience fever and other flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue and muscle aches, but extreme cases could lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.
In people other than pregnant women, symptoms can include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions in addition to fever and muscle aches. The CDC notes that people with invasive listeriosis usually report symptoms starting 1 to 4 weeks after eating food contaminated with listeria while others have reported symptoms starting as late as 70 days after exposure or as early as the same day of exposure.
Diagnosis of listeriosis is usually made when a bacterial culture grows listeria monocytogenes from a body tissue or fluid, such as blood, spinal fluid, or the placenta. The treatment of listeriosis involves antibiotics.
North Bay Produce are encouraging consumers to throw out or return any apples purchased after October 16 just as a precautionary measure.
