NO fresh apples from the United States have been linked to the fatal Listeria outbreak, the US embassy in Manila said in a statement released on Friday.
‘Citing a report from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the embassy said the harmful bacteria Listeria monocytogenese has only been linked to commercially produced, prepackaged caramel apples made from apples using Bidart Brothers Apples located in California.
“The FDA has also stated that the growing season for these types of apples has ended and the firm’s last shipping date was December 2, 2014. Bidart Brothers is no longer shipping apples,” the statement read.
The US embassy also said the recall of fresh Gala and Granny Smith apples by the Bidart Brothers packing house in California is voluntary.
Earlier, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) warned Filipinos against eating fresh apples being marketed under the Gala and Granny Smith brands from the US.
The DTI called on other local government agencies to back the recall of listeriosis-infected apples initiated by the US FDA.
The department’s consumer-welfare division warned of the possibility that contaminated apples were shipped into the Philippines.
The government urged traders to voluntarily pull out apples being sold under the Gala and Granny Smith brands in supermarkets.
The Department of Agriculture has also urged ports in the country to thoroughly inspect shipments to ensure that imported apples are free from listeriosis infection.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said listeriosis is a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes.
Data from Washington showed that US exports of fresh apple to the Philippines through November 2014 rose by 72 percent to 8,595 metric tons. US shipments of apples to the country were valued at $10 million.