As the nation continues to be bombarded with "Eat Healthy" campaigns by First Lady Michelle Obama and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, parents might want to give their children French fries on their next visit to McDonald's instead of the traditionally healthier apple slices.
Ready Pac Foods Inc. is recalling around 300,000 cases of apple slices and pieces that were sold at fast food chains including McDonald's and Burger King, as well as at supermarkets and convenience stores across the country due to possible listeria contamination, according to the Associated Press.
The apple products were sold in 36 states and the District of Columbia. McDonald's said in a statement it stopped serving all apple products from the Ready Pac facility where the contamination was found as a precautionary step and said it hasn't received any confirmed cases of illness.
The recall by Ready Pac came after listeria monocytogenes was found on equipment used by one of its subsidiaries, Missa Bay.
The recalled foods containing diced or sliced apples have Use-by dates of July 8, 2012 through August 20, 2012.
To make matters more frightening for parents and consumers alike, some of the recalled products don't even bear the Ready Pac name. Recalled products include Snack Pac Apples & Caramel, 4oz, marked with the Hannaford label; Fruit & Walnut Snack, 5.75oz, marked with the McDonald's label; and the Apples, Granola & Low Fat Vanilla Yogurt, 4.3oz, with the Wegmans label.
Consumers can check the government's list of product names and UPC codes here and here, on the company's press release.
Those consumers who may have purchased the affected product are asked to record the Use-by date and/or UPC code number, immediately dispose of the product, and contact the Ready Pac Consumer Affairs Department, toll-free at (800) 800-7822, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Pacific Time) to obtain a full refund.
