Photo: Abi Porter / Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Produce Retailer: The listeria outbreak connected to caramel apples in late 2014 and early 2015 gave the produce industry a slap to remind it to remain vigilant about food safety. Discussion of the outbreak dominated the first day of the seventh annual Center for Produce Safety Research Symposium on June 28-29.

That outbreak was traced to one apple supplier, Bidart Bros., Bakersfield, Calif. Only commercially produced, prepackaged whole caramel apples were involved. There were 35 people from 12 states reported infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Seven of them died before the case was closed, three of them linked to listeriosis.

(Ed: Dr Trevor Suslow from US Davis will be addressing this case study at the FPSC Conference, Sydney, 10th August Register now)

Read the full article at the Produce Retailer website