Sparta-based Produce Company Recalls Apples Over Listeria Concerns

Concerns over potential contamination is causing a western Michigan produce supplier to recall several varieties of apples.

In a press release Tuesday, Jack Brown Produce, Inc. of Sparta says that the Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp and Golden Delicious apples supplied by Nyblad Orchards, Inc. of Kent City could potentially be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria infection causes symptoms like high fever, nausea, abdominal pain, stiffness and more; in the elderly and young people, it can be fatal.

These apples were sold under the Apple Ridge brand name, in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Georgia and Missouri. The infected apples would have been sold between December 11 and December 16.

The affected products are:

• Honeycrisp apples in two-pound clear plastic bags;

• Gala, Fuji, and Golden Delicious apples in 3-pound clear plastic bags;

•  Fuji and Gala apples in 5-pound red-netted mesh bags; and

• Gala, Fuji and Honeycrisp apples that were tray-packed/individually sold

and these products can be identified by checking their lot numbers:

• Fuji: NOI 163, 165, 167, 169, 174

• Honeycrisp: NOI 159, 160, 173

• Golden Delicious: NOI 168

• Gala: NOI 164, 166 on either the product labels and/or bag-closure clip.

Jack Brown Produce says that if you've purchased one of these products, you should destroy them, and contact them for a refund. They also say that they have stopped distributing products that were processed by Nyblad Orchards.

Those with questions can contact Jack Brown Produce by calling 616-887-9568, and asking for Lisa Ingalls; or you can go to their website. 

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