New enforcement documents on file with the Food and Drug Administration show the full spectrum of apple recalls made by Bidart Bros. -- a voluntary action that applied to 15.25 million pounds of Gala and Granny Smith varieties from the 2014 harvest. The product quantities totaled 33,900 cases of Gala apples and 347,970 cases of Granny Smith apples, with each case weighing between 40-45 pounds, according to the reports. Distribution incorporated Minnesota, California, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, Tennessess, Texas, Michigan, Arizona, Maryland, Oregon, Kansas, Illinois, Georgia, New Jersey, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri and Canada. The Bakersfield, Calif., company is facing numerous Listeria apple lawsuits in connection with an outbreak that hospitalized 34 people in 12 … [Read more...]
Minnesota Caramel Apple Listeria Cases Hold Steady at 4
Seven weeks after announcing that two Minnesotans had been killed and two others had been sickened in a multistate Listeria outbreak linked to prepackaged, commercially prepared caramel apples, the Minnesota Department of Health says no new cases have been identified in that state. At least 32 people in 11 states have been sickened in the outbreak. Seven people have died. The states reporting cases in the outbreak are: Arizona, California, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin. The age range for case patients spans nine decades and includes three pediatric cases of Listeria meningitis, three premature births, one fetal loss and six other cases related to pregnancy. A lawsuit has been filed one behalf of a woman and her newborn baby … [Read more...]
Caramel Apple Lawsuit Filed in New Mexico
National food safety law firm Pritzker Hageman, P.A. filed a lawsuit for a mother and baby sickened in the Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to caramel apples. In late October of 2014, a member of Cathy Jone’s family purchased several prepackaged caramel apples from the Smith’s store located at 4016 Louisiana Boulevard Northeast, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Cathy Jones, pregnant at the time, ate one. On November 7, she began to feel ill. On November 8, her son was born several months prematurely. The baby was diagnosed with Listeria monocytogenes. He stayed in the hospital neonatal intensive care unit for over four weeks. Health officials from the New Mexico Department of Health performed pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) testing on the sample of Listeria monocytogenes … [Read more...]
Listeria in Caramel Apples Sickens Four in Arizona
Four people in Arizona have been sickened by Listeria in caramel apples. The cases are part of an 11-state outbreak that has sickened 32 people, killing seven of them. Three of the case patients, who range in age from newborn to 76, are female. All of them required hospitalization. No fatalities were reported, Food Poisoning Bulletin has learned. Geographically, the cases were spread throughout the state reported from Apache County, in the northeast, Coconino County in the north central part of the state and Maricopa County in south central Arizona. The outbreak has been linked to apples packed at Bidart Brothers in Shafter, Calif. The company has recalled a full year of Granny Smith and Gala apples packed at the plant. A complete list of stores and brand names has not been … [Read more...]
Bidart Bros. Publicly Contrite Over Listeria Caramel Apple Outbreak
The California company at the center of a Listeria caramel apple lawsuit has expressed sorrow for victims of the outbreak and pledged to work in complete cooperation with ongoing investigations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). In a public letter published on the FDA's food safety pages, the family-owned company also said it received annual USDA certification in September 2014, just one month before the outbreak began. "Our hearts go out to all who have been impacted by the apple-related listeriosis outbreak,'' said Leonard Bidart, president of Bidart Bros. "As a family-owned grower operating in California since the 1930s, we place safety at the forefront of everything we … [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...]
Caramel Apple Listeria Outbreak Timeline
Seven people have died in the caramel apple Listeria outbreak that has sickened 32 people in 11 states. The age range for case patients spans nine decades and includes three pediatric cases of Listeria meningitis, three premature births, 1 fetal loss and six other cases related to pregnancy. Health officials have linked the outbreak to contaminated apples produced by Bidart Brothers of Bakersfield, Calif. Here is a timeline of key events since the outbreak was announced one month ago. December 18 The Minnesota Department of Health announces that a multistate Listeria outbreak linked to caramel apples includes four Minnesotans, two of whom have died. The agency identifies Carnival and Kitchen Cravings brands caramel apples sold at Kwik Trip, Mike’s Disccount Foods and Cub Foods as being … [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...]
CDC Updates Listeria Caramel Apple Outbreak: 7 Dead
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated the investigation into the Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to commercially produced, prepackaged caramel apples. As of January 10, 2015, 32 people in 11 states are sickened in this outbreak; 31 people have been hospitalized, three have Listeria meningitis, and seven people have died. Listeriosis contributed to at least three of these deaths. It's not clear whether or not a Listeria infection contributed to the newly reported death. The case count remains the same as the last update on December 31, 2014, but one more person has died. The case count by state is: Arizona (4), California (2), Minnesota (4), Missouri (5), Nevada (1), New Mexico (6), North Carolina (1), Texas (4), Utah (1), Washington (1), and … [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...]
