No bad apples in PH, says DOH

MANILA, Philippines–No tainted apples linked to the listeria outbreak in the United States had entered the country, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in an advisory.

“FDA Philippines has coordinated with the Bureau of Plant Industry of the Department of Agriculture [which] confirmed that no shipment of the two brands of apple mentioned in the US FDA recall have entered the country,” said FDA officer in charge Nicolas Lutero III.

The US FDA said it recalled shipments of Gala and Granny Smith apple by supplier Bidart Brothers.

Earlier, the US FDA said apples from the 2014 production were being recalled by the California-based supplier due to their association with the listeria outbreak that has killed seven people.

It also warned that about 375,000 cartons of possibly contaminated apples were shipped to the Philippines through its consignees, International Produce Group LLC and MB Fresh International.

The US FDA issued the warning after health officials traced the listeria outbreak to commercially produced and prepacked caramel apples, also distributed by Bidart Brothers. The US agency said other products from the same supplier may be tainted.