Late last night the Canadian Food Safety Authority issued an update to the food recall warning issued on December 24, 2014 to include the recall of both Granny Smith apples and Gala apples exported by Bidart Bros. in the United States (US) from the marketplace due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Identified importers of the recalled products include Beauvais Ltee. and Courchesne Larose.  Recalled products were imported by and sold at Coosemans Montreal Inc., located at 1605 rue de Beauharnois Ouest, Montréal, QC.

  • Big B    Granny Smith Apples*  All production in 2014
  • Big B    Gala Apples* All production in 2014
  • Granny’s Best    Granny Smith Apples*  All production in 2014

*Only apples exported by Bidart Bros. are affected by this recall. Recalled products may have been sold under other brand names besides the one identified or without a brand name at all, such as in bulk. If you are unsure as to whether products are included in this recall, contact the location where they were purchased.

Oddly, in the U.S. all that we have received from the FDA is:

  • On December 22, 2014, the FDA briefed Bidart Bros. on the status of the investigation.
  • On December 22, 2014, Bidart Bros. issued a recall of Granny Smith apples it sold in 2014 to those customers known to produce caramel apples.  Then, on December 24, 2014, Bidart Bros. notified all customers receiving Granny Smith apples in 2014 to recall those apples if they had been used to make caramel apples.

Although I must admit, I have not see a recall from Bidart Bros., or any announcement from them whatsoever.

Food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick. Symptoms can include vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headache and neck stiffness. Pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk. Although infected pregnant women may experience only mild, flu-like symptoms, the infection can lead to premature delivery, infection of the newborn or even stillbirth. In severe cases of illness, people may die.