Produce Recalls: Cantaloupe, Honeydew Melon, and Sliced Apples

Listeria monocytogenes is the bacteria to blame for these two recent recalls: 1) large quantities of foods containing diced or sliced apples carrying the Ready-Pac or other brand names; and 2) Burch Farm cantaloupes and honeydew melons. Both of these recalls involve many states. Most of the information below is from press releases created by the companies issuing the recalls. We've included links to these press releases in case you have any items from these companies in your home and want to know the identifying information on the recalled products. The article concludes with advice on how to clean cantaloupes properly to avoid contamination.    

Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms from listeria (high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea) this bacteria can be dangerous for very young children, the elderly, or people with weakened immune systems. Among pregnant women, listeria infection can cause a miscarriage or stillbirth.

So far, there have been no illnesses reported as a result of these recalls.  However symptoms from listeria can sometimes take as long as a few months to develop.  The incubation period may range from 3 to 70 days. 

Processed Apples:

Missa Bay, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ready Pac Foods, Inc., of Swedesboro, New Jersey is recalling a total of 293,488 cases and 296,224 individually distributed units of fruit, vegetable, and sandwich products containing apples. 

The recalled products were produced and distributed from the Missa Bay facility to retailers and food service operators in the following areas: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.), Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin and West Virginia. 

Many of the products involved in the recall carry one of these labels: Ready Pac, Snack Pac, Wawa, Wegman's, or McDonalds.   You'll find a complete list of the recalled products here.  The list of items includes sliced apples with dips, chicken salad sandwiches with diced apples, and other processed combinations.

This recall notification is being issued due to finding Listeria monocytogenes on equipment used by Missa Bay.

Cantaloupe and Honeydew Melon:

Burch Equipment (located in North Carolina) is expanding its recall to include all of its cantaloupes and honeydew melons from this growing season that may remain on the market. The company has recalled 13,888 cases (9 cantaloupes per) and 581 crates (110 cantaloupes per) containing 188,902 melons in all.

The cantaloupes and honeydew melons involved in this expanded recall were sold to distributors between June 23rd and July 27th, in the following states: FL, GA, IL, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SC, and VA, VT and WV. The melons may have further been distributed to retail stores, restaurants and food service facilities in other states. 

The whole cantaloupes are identified by a red label reading Burch Farms referencing PLU # 4319. All cantaloupes involved in the recall were grown by Burch Farms; however, some of the cantaloupes may have been identified with a "Cottle Strawberry, Inc." sticker.

Honeydew melons involved in this recall expansion do not bear any identifying stickers and were packed in cartons labeled melons.

The Burch recall of both types of fruits was based upon the discovery of listeria on a cantaloupe and a honeydew melon grown and backed by Burch.  However, the FDA also found unsanitary conditions in the Burch packing shed, according to foodsafetynews.com.

For more information on the Burch recall and the company's correction of the type of cantaloupe involved, click here: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2012/08/burch-farms-cantaloupe-recall-actually-affects-caribbean-gold-not-athena/#.UCmiw45Q0yE 

Safety Tip: The inside of an uncut cantaloupe is germ-free, but there is always the possibility that the exterior is contaminated. To protect yourself from illness, follow the advice in the September 2012 issue of Consumer Reports on Health: "Scrubbing with a vegetable brush under running water is the best way to prevent the fleshy part of the fruit from becoming contaminated."  Bacteria, the newsletter explains, can hide in the small crevices of the exterior and travel inward once a knife cuts the fruit open.

For more information on how to wash many fresh fruits and vegetables, click here: http://shelflifeadvice.com/content/what-best-way-clean-fresh-fruits-and-vegetables

Source(s):

www.fda.gov "Missa Bay, LLC Announces Voluntary Recall of Fruit, Vegetable, and Sandwich Products Containing Apples Because of Possible Health Risk"

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm315249.htm?source=govdelivery

www.fda.gov "Burch Equipment LLC Expands Recall to Include Additional Cantaloupe Shipping Dates and to Include Honeydew Melons"

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm315248.htm

Consumer Reports on Health, September 2012.