According to FDA's form 483, inspectors found Listeria monocytogenes bacteria at the Bidart Brothers packing house. A multistate outbreak of Listeria was linked to commercially produced caramel apples made from that company's produce. The report, based on inspections conducted on December 23, 24, and 29 in 2014 and on January 6, 2015 states "during an inspection of your firm we observed food that has been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have been contaminated with filthy, or whereby it may have been rendered injurious to health." The inspectors were officials from the FDA and the California Department of Public Health. FDA inspectors collected 110 environmental swabs from food and non-food contact surfaces in the packaging area, common cold … [Read more...]
Listeria Outbreak, Apple Recall Prompts Texas Warning
An apple recall linked to a deadly Listeria outbreak has prompted a warning from Texas health officials. Consumers should not eat Gala or Granny Smith apples produced by Bidart Brothers or eat pre-packaged caramel apples, the Texas health department said in a news update yesterday. Apples produced by Bidart Brothers, some of which were sold under the brand names Big B or Granny's Best, have been linked to an 11-state outbreak that has sickened 32 people, killing seven of them. In Texas, four people have been sickened by the apples. All four had pre-existing medical conditions and required hospitalization for their Listeria infections. Two of them died. The Texas health department is advising anyone who thinks they may have become ill with listeriosis to contact a health care … [Read more...]
Caramel Apple Lawsuit Filed Against Walmart, Bidart
Walmart and Bidart Brothers Apple Packing are named as defendants in a lawsuit filed on behalf of a California woman who has spent more than a month in the hospital after contracting listeriosis from a caramel apple. The suit was filed January 13 in Superior Court in Sacramento. According to the complaint, Darlene Vouri and her husband Francis Vouri purchased caramel apples on October 14, 2014 from the Wal–Mart located at 5454 Crossings Drive in Rocklin, Calif. Within a few days of eating them, Darlene began to experince symptoms of a Listeria infection, including headache, neck pain, fatigue, chills, and muscle aches and weakness. Over the course of the next two weeks, Mrs. Vouri went to the doctor several times as her condition deteriorated. On November 8, she collapsed and was … [Read more...]
Genetic Link Between Bidart Brothers Apple Facility, Listeria Outbreak
Since December 22, 2014, consumers have been told not to consume any commercially prepared, prepackaged caramel apples because of a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak associated with those products. As the investigation unfolded, it became clear that Bidart Brothers, an apple packer in California, was the only grower to apply apples to Happy Apple Company and Merb's Candies, two recalled brands. Also on December 22, 2014, Bidart Brothers issued a recall of Granny Smith apples sold to customers who make caramel apples. That recall was expanded on December 24, 2014, to all Bidart Brothers caramel apple-making customers supplied with Granny Smith apples in 2014. The California Food Emergency Response Team was sent on December 23, 2014 to investigate the outbreak. Environmental samples were … [Read more...]
Listeria Found at Bidart Brothers Apple Plant: Recall Issued
The FDA announced the results of tests performed on samples taken from Bidart Brothers apple processing plant. Government officials confirmed that two strains of Listeria monocytogenes found at the facility are believed to be the same strains associated with the Listeria outbreak that has sickened at least 32 people in 11 states. Those same strains were found in Bidart Brothers apples collected by the FDA from a retailer. The company has issued a voluntary recall of all Bidart Brothers Granny Smith and Gala apples still available in the marketplace. The company last shipped Granny Smith apples to customers on December 2, 2014. Consumers should not eat the Granny Smith and Gala apples being recalled. The apples are sold under brand names "Big B" and "Granny's Best", though they could … [Read more...]
Caramel Apple Listeria Lawsuit Filed on Behalf of NM Mother and Newborn Baby
A lawsuit stemming from the caramel apple Listeria outbreak has been filed on behalf of a New Mexico woman and her newborn son. The complaint names as defendants apple supplier Bidart Brothers Apple Packing Inc. of Shafter, Calif. and retailer Smith’s Food & Drug Centers Inc., of Delaware which operates stores in New Mexico. The law firm Pritzker Hageman filed the suit January 09, 2015 in U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico. The case number is 1:15-CV-00019-KBM-SMV local co-counsel is J. Edward Hollington of Albuquerque. According to the complaint, a family member of the plaintiff, Cathy Jones, purchased several prepackaged, commercially prepared caramel apples from a Smith’s store at 4016 Louisiana Boulevard Northeast, Albuquerque in late October, 2014. Ms. Jones, who … [Read more...]
Consumers: Tell Us Stores, Brand Names in Bidart Apple Recall
Consumers are frustrated with the lack of information federal health officials are providing about the Bidart Brothers apple recall. Bidart Brothers apples have been linked to a caramel apple Listeria outbreak that has sickened at least 32 people in 11 states, killing six of them. Now, all the Gala and Granny Smith apples the company packed in 2014 have been recalled for Listeria, but consumers aren't being told which stores sold them or which brand names they were sold under. Instead, they are being advised to contact the store where they were purchased and ask who the supplier was. The comment sections for online stories about the recall have summed up the advice, euphemistically, in one word: ridiculous. So far, the two brand names for Bidart Bros. Gala and Granny Smith apples that … [Read more...]
Listeria at Bidart Packing Plant Triggers Huge Apple Recall
Listeria found at Bidart Brothers packing plant in Shafter, Calif. has triggered a recall for all Granny Smith and Gala apples packed at the facility during 2014. Consumers should not eat the recalled apples as they risk serious illness if they do. These apples are linked to an 11-state Listeria outbreak that has sickened 32 people, killing six of them. The apples were sold under a number of brand names including Granny's Best and Big B. Consumers who have purchased Granny Smith or Gala apples recently and are not sure of the brand names should check with the store where they purchased them to see if they came from Bidart. Up until now, consumers have been warned only about Bidart apples used to make caramel apples. This recall is for all Granny Smith and Gala apples packed at the … [Read more...]
Bidart Listeria Recall in Canada Expands to Include Full Year of Gala Apples
Bidart Brothers has expanded its apple recall for Listeria to include a second variety, Gala, in Canada, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The recall is for all Gala apples produced in 2014. The initial recall, issued December 24, 2014, was for Granny Smith apples produced during 2014. Consumers, retailers, restaurants and institutions should not eat or use the recalled products which may have been sold under other brand names. Anyone with questions about whether apples they purchased are included in the recall should contact the location where they were purchased. Bidart Brothers apples have been linked to a Listeria outbreak that has sickened at least 32 people in the U.S. Two people in Canada have been sickened by the same strain. One case is in Ontario, and the … [Read more...]
Caramel Apple Lawsuit Names Happy Apple, Bidart Brothers, Safeway
A wrongful death lawsuit filed in connection with the caramel apple Listeria outbreak names the apple grower, the caramel apple maker and the store that sold the contaminated product as defendants. Filed on behalf of one of the three people who have died in this 10-state outbreak, the wrongful death lawsuit initially named Safeway, the store where the caramel apple was purchased. But, after a recall was issued, the grower, Bidart Brothers, and the maker, Happy Apple, were added. According to the lawsuit, Shirlee Jean Frey, 81, died after contracting listeriosis from a caramel apple she purchased at Safeway just before Halloween. She began to feel ill the first week of November and was dead one month later. The two other deaths were reported in Minnesota, which has been hard hit by … [Read more...]
