Freshway Foods Voluntarily Recalls Out-of-Date Sliced Apples Because of Possible Health Risk

Freshway Foods is voluntarily recalling 6,671 pounds of sliced apples that were packaged on November 12 using the same packaging machine, which may have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. A table of recalled consumer pack products, their respective use-by-dates and the states to which the company shipped them is provided below. No illnesses have been linked to this recall.

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

December 8, 2012
Freshway Foods Voluntary Recall of Sliced Apples
(Information to assist consumers identify recalled products)

Freshway is advising consumers who may have the out-of-date product to not consume it and discard it.

This voluntary recall was initiated after a single, routine and random retail sample of sliced green apple product taken by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services tested positive for the bacteria. Freshway Foods is also keeping the U.S. Food and Drug Administration informed of its recall process. In compliance with federal food safety regulations and guidelines, Freshway cleans and sanitizes its equipment daily to proactively minimize potential problems.

Freshway Foods is notifying retail customers and food service distributors who received the recalled product directly from the company and requesting that they remove from commerce any of the expired products that they still have in inventory. As an extra precautionary measure we are also asking our direct customers to notify their customers of this recall.

“Although there are no illnesses related to this recall and the out-of-date recalled product is likely no longer available in the marketplace, Freshway Foods is issuing this precautionary voluntary recall because we are committed to our customers and the well-being of the consumers who enjoy our products every day,” said Phil Gilardi, president of Freshway Foods. “We follow industry and federal food safety regulations and guidelines, and are working to carry out this recall in an effective and efficient manner in order to reduce even the slightest risk to public health.”

Consumers with questions may call Freshway Foods’ information desk at 1-855-775-3259 (8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, M-F) or visit our web site for a copy of this news release www.freshwayfoods.com.