Granny Smith apples sold at Mike’s Discount Foods stores in Anoka and Fridley are being recalled for Listeria, E. coli and Salmonella. Consumers who have purchased these apples should not eat them as they risk serious illness if they do.
The apples are being recalled by Northstar Produce Inc. of St. Louis Park, Minnesota. The apples are being recalled because they tested positive for all three bacteria. No illnesses had been reported at the time of the recall, but Listeria infections can take as long as 70 days after exposure to develop.
Listeria monocytogenes can cause a serious, sometimes fatal infection called listeriosis. Those most at risk are young children, seniors, those with weakened immune systems and pregnant women among whom listeriosis can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, and infection in newborns. Symptoms of listeriosis include high fever, severe headache, muscle stiffness or soreness and gastrointestinal problems such as nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Pregnant women may only feel mildly ill, but this illness can have serious consequences for them.
Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections. Those most at risk are young children, seniors, those with weakened immune systems. Symptoms, which include fever, diarrhea that may be bloody, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, usually develop within six to 72 hours of exposure and last up to 10 days. Complications include bloodstream infections, infected aneurysms, endocarditis and arthritis.
E. coli also causes serious illness and death. Symptoms of an infection include abdominal cramping and diarrhea that is often bloody that last about a week. Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a complication of E. coli infections that causes kidney failure, coma, seizure, stroke and death. Children are most at risk for HUS.
The recalled apples were sold at Mike’s Discount Foods on 230 Osborn Ave. in Fridley, MN and Mikes’s Discount Foods on 516 East River Road, in Anoka, MN from October 1, 2015 through October 19, 2015. Anyone who ate the apples and became ill, should see a doctor and mention exposure to bacteria from the recalled apples.
