McDonald's has issued a statement following the recall of nearly 300,000 apple slices from its franchises across the nation after a listeria contimation scare.
Missa Bay, LLC, a distributor for McDonald's, Wawa, Burger King and other restaurants, voluntarily recalled a total of 293,488 cases and 296,224 individually distributed units of fruit, vegetable, and sandwich products containing apples earlier this week, according to 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.
McDonald's USA Spokesperson Danya Proud issued the follow statement in response to the recall.
"McDonald's food safety and quality control standards are among the highest in the restaurant industry. We have a long history of leadership in this area and work with suppliers who share our commitment to provide customers with safe, quality menu items.
In an abundance of caution, we stopped serving all existing apple products from Ready Pac's Missa Bay facility and removed them entirely from our restaurants and distribution centers. This is a precautionary voluntary measure, only. It's important to note that McDonald's has not received any reports of illness with Ready Pac's recall.
Information about McDonald's apple menu items potentially impacted by this voluntary recall can be found a www.mcdonalds.com or by calling 1-800-244-6227.
Apple menu items currently in our restaurants are not affected by this recall.
Like all food businesses, we are closely monitoring the situation and will continue to look to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide further guidance as more is known."
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.
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.
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.
