Missa Bay recalls sliced apples over Listeria risk

US-based Missa Bay, a subsidiary of Ready Pac Foods, is voluntarily recalling 293,488 cases and 296,224 individually distributed units of fruit, vegetable and sandwich products as they contain diced or sliced apples that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The products subject to the recall, which have use-by dates of 8 July 2012 through 20 August 2012, were produced at Missa Bay’s facility and were distributed to food service operators and retailers in 36 states and the District of Columbia in the US.

They were distributed to McDonald’s, Burger King, Wegmans Food Markets, and Wawa convenience stores, among others.

In response to the recall, McDonald’s announced that it has stopped selling the Missa Bay apple products and removed them from all its restaurants and distribution centres.

The recall was issued after Listeria monocytogenes was identified on the equipment that is used to produce the apple products.

Missa Bay has asked retailers and food service operators to check their inventories and store shelves to ensure that none of the affected products are available for sale to consumers.

It has also urged consumers to check the use-by date of the products and immediately dispose them if they are subject to the recall.

No illnesses have been reported linked to the consumption of these products.

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can lead to serious or life-threatening food-borne illness in people who consume food products contaminated with it, and its symptoms include fever, muscle aches, and gastro intestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhoea.

The organism can cause serious infections in pregnant women, newborn babies and those with compromised immune systems.