Sliced Apples Recalled Due to Potential for Listeria After State Lab Finds Positive Sample

A Washington state company is recalling sliced apples due to the potential for Listeria contamination. The contamination was discovered by testing conducted by Minnesota Health Department. A sample tested was found to be positive for Listeria monocytogenes.

There have been no know Listeria outbreaks associated with sliced apples, however sliced apple product had been recalled in the 2012. Perhaps this is why MN Dept. of Health decided to pull this sample…perhaps it was just somebody pulling samples. Was the level of contamination significant? Studies have shown that Listeria can survive on apples and that it has grown on sliced apples when that product was temperature abused.

How we view risk of an item may not be constant over time.  This was the case with cantaloupes, where Listeria was probably not on the radar of those conducting a risk analysis, until the Jensen related outbreak in 2011. And so now for companies packing fresh apple slice, they too will need to include Listeria as part of their hazard analysis, and with this, they will need to implement environmental control measures in the processing environment.


The Packer
Crunch Pak recalls apple slices
http://www.thepacker.com/fruit-vegetable-news/Crunch-Pak-recalls-apple-slices-232066161.html

 11/15/2013 10:10:00 AM  Coral Beach

Possible listeria contamination spurred Crunch Pak, Cashmere, Wash., to voluntarily recall almost 5,500 cases of apple slices that had been distributed nationwide.

A random sample of a 14-ounce package of Crunch Pak brand Tart Apple Slices that was collected by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture tested positive for listeria monocytogenes, according to Crunch Pak spokeswoman Amy Philpott.

No illnesses have been reported, according to a notice on the Food and Drug Administration website.
“The company was notified late (Nov. 13). It was well after business hours, but they sprang into action,” Philpott said Nov.15.

Crunch Pak employees began calling customers immediately, asking them to remove the products from their stores.

Philpott said the plant that produced the six different sliced apple products is still operating, but an investigation is underway and the company is cooperating with state and federal officials.

“We are issuing this voluntary recall to reduce even the slightest risk to public health,” said Tony Freytag, senior vice president of Crunch Pak. “We realize that food safety is a constant effort, and we are using this opportunity to further evaluate our food safety systems.”

Crunch Pak sold the products to retailers, and in some cases it was shipped to regional distribution centers. To identify the six recalled products both the Universal Product Code and best-by dates must be used, according to the recall notice. The UPC on the recalled products is also used for other items in the category, thus it alone will not identify the recalled products.

The recalled products are:
 Crunch Pak Tart Apple Slices 14-ounce bag;
Crunch Pak Tart Apple Slices 2-ounce bag with Low Fat Caramel Dip Multi pack of five;
Crunch Pak Tart Apple Slices 2-ounce bag Multi pack of six;
Crunch Pak Tart Apple Slices 3-pound bag;
Crunch Pak Sweet Honeycrisp Apple Slices 12-ounce bag; and
Crunch Pak Blue Raspberry Flavorz Apple Slices 2-ounce bag Multi pack of five with Monsters University

FDA Release 

Crunch Pak Issues Voluntary Recall of Limited Quantities of Crunch Pak Brand Apple Slices Because of Possible Health Risk
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm375135.htm
Contact
Consumer:
1-509-888-7648
Customerservice@crunchpak.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - November 14, 2013 - Crunch Pak® of Cashmere, Washington is voluntarily recalling 5,471 cases of Crunch Pak® Apple Slices due to a possible health risk from Listeria monocytogenes.

No illnesses have been reported in association with this recall to date. No other Crunch Pak® products are affected by this recall. FDA is aware that the company is undertaking this voluntary action.

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. Although 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.

The company sold the recalled product to retail customers and because, in some cases, the recalled product was shipped to regional distribution centers, Crunch Pak is taking the extra precautionary measure of issuing this recall nationwide to assure that consumers who may have purchased the product are properly alerted.

The following products are subject to this nationwide recall

Product Description for Nov. 14, 2013 Voluntary Recall Totaling 5,471 cases	UPC Code *	Best if Used By Date*
Crunch Pak® Tart Apple Slices 14 ounce bag	732313141209	11/14/13
Crunch Pak® Tart Apple Slices 2 ounce bag with Low Fat Caramel Dip Multi pak of 5	732313091139	11/14/13
Crunch Pak® Tart Apple Slices 2 ounce bag Multi pak of 6	732313121034	11/14/13
Crunch Pak® Tart Apple Slices 3 pound bag	732313481206	11/14/13
Crunch Pak® Sweet Honeycrisp Apple Slices 12 ounce bag	732313120013	11/14/13
Crunch Pak® Blue Raspberry Flavorz Apple Slices 2 ounce bag Multi pak of 5 with Monsters University	732313089969	11/18/13
* In order to identify the recalled products, both the product description or UPC code AND the Best-if-Used-By-Date must be used. The UPC code and best by date are printed on the back of the packages. Because the UPC code is used for all items in these categories, the UPC code alone will not identify the recalled product.

Consumers who have recalled product in their possession should not consume it, should destroy or discard it, and retain the receipt of purchase. Consumers with questions may contact Crunch Pak at 1-509-888-7648, M-F, 8:00am – 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. For a copy of this press release and photos of the recalled products, please visit www.crunchpak.com1 2.

This voluntary recall was initiated after a single, random sample of 14 oz. package of Crunch Pak brand Tart Apple Slices, taken by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.

Crunch Pak representatives are already contacting retail customers who received the product directly from the company and asking that they remove the recalled product from store shelves and inventories and that no product is available for consumer purchase.

“We are issuing this voluntary recall to reduce even the slightest risk to public health. There is nothing more important than the health and safety of those who enjoy our products,” said Tony Freytag of Crunch Pak. “We have always been committed to food safety, and we will continue to make food safety a core competency of our company. We realize that food safety is a constant effort, and we are using this opportunity to further evaluate our food safety systems