California Snack Foods is issuing a voluntary recall of California Snack Foods brand Karm’l Dapples caramel apples because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. All styles of Karm’l Dapples are recalled.
There is a 10-state outbreak of listeriosis linked to caramel apples that has sickened at least 29 people and killed five. Bidart Brothers, who also supplied Happy Apple caramel apple manufacturers with apples, notified California Snack Foods that there may be a connection between that outbreak and apples supplied to them.
The recalled products have a “best use by” date between August 15 and November 28, 2014. They were sold in single packs and three packs. Each package has the best use by date on the front of the label. They were sold through grocery, discount, and club stores, usually in the produce section, in Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas, and Utah. There are illnesses in Arizona, California, Texas, and Utah. You can see more pictures of product labels at the FDA site.
California Snack Foods used the last of the apples from Bidart Brothers in the first week of November 2014. Those caramel apples should not longer be available in stores, but consumers may still have them in their homes. The government is advising consumers to avoid eating all commercially prepared, prepackaged caramel apples until further notice.
If you purchased these apples, do not eat them. Discard them in a double bag so other people and animals can’t eat them, or return to the place of purchase for a refund. Then wash your hands thoroughly and clean out your cupboards with a mild bleach solution to kill any bacteria.
If you ate these apples, monitor yourself for illness for the next 70 days. The symptoms of listeriosis include high fever, headache, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and stiffness. Pregnant women may only have a mild illness similar to the flu, but listeriosis can cause stillbirth, miscarriage, premature labor, and infection of the newborn baby. If you do develop these symptoms, see your doctor and tell her you ate the recalled apples. Some doctors have their patients take prophylactic antibiotics to prevent a possible listeriosis infection.
