DAVAO DEL NORTE February 5 (PIA) - - The Department of Trade and
Industry (DTI) – Davao del Norte recently extracted from the supermarket
stalls around four boxes of certain brands of apples after being
notified of the recall order from the United States Food and Drugs
Administration (USFDA).
The DTI swept the public market
and malls in Tagum City to pull out of Gala and Granny Smith apples,
which harvest on 2014 were identified by the USFDA to be associated with
the Listeriosis Outbreak.
Delvin Santos of the Consumers Welfare Division of DTI Davao del
Norte revealed that the said brands of apples were found only in the
supermarket in the malls located in the city
Santos said that the public must be aware that not all apples were related to Listeriosis Outbreak.
He said that during their monitoring, many were hesitant in buying apples anymore because of the recall.
He reiterated that only 'Gala' and 'Granny Smith' apples, which are prepacked apples, were linked to the outbreak.
According to the DTI report, Gala and Granny Smith apples were produced and exported by Bidarth Brothers, a US company.
It further stated that the apples were exported to Hongkong and may
have been shipped to the Philippines through its consignees,
International Produce group LLC and MB Fresh International.
According to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website,
Listeriosis Outbreak resulted to 1,600 illnesses and 260 deaths annually
in the US.
The website also stated that Listeriosis is a serious infections
caused by Listeria monocytogenes bacteria, which is linked to
commercially produced, prepackaged caramel apples, and can cause
serious, and life-threatening illness, most especially to adults 65
years and older, people with weakened immune systems and pregnant women.
Listeriosis can be prevented through proper washing and handling of
foods and if infected, can be treated with antibiotics. (PIA11, Michael
Uy)
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