Six people in New Mexico are part of the Listeria outbreak linked to prepackaged caramel apples. Our Listeria attorneys are investigating.
The multistate outbreak linked to caramel apples has sickened 32 people in 11 states: Arizona (4), California (2), Minnesota (4), Missouri (5), Nevada (1), New Mexico (6), North Carolina (1), Texas (4), Utah (1), Washington (1), and Wisconsin (3). These numbers are expected to grow.
The New Mexico cases reside in Bernalillo, McKinley, and Lea counties and became ill in October and November. All of them were hospitalized.
Some of the New Mexico illnesses were newborn babies, and one woman had a miscarriage.
Listeria bacteria are unusual in their ability to travel via the blood to the placenta and thereby infect the unborn child. This can result in miscarriage or a newborn baby becoming sick hours or days after birth. Listeria infections, called listeriosis, are very often deadly for these little ones.
Nationwide, 10 illnesses in the outbreak have been associated with a pregnancy (occurred in a pregnant woman or her newborn baby). In addition, children between the ages of 5 and 15 were sickened in the outbreak and developed Listeria meningitis, an infection of a lining of the brain.
Caramel apple brands named in interviews with people sickened in the outbreak have included Happy Apple, Carnival, and Merb’s Candies. However, the investigation is ongoing and other brands may be identified. Because the investigation is ongoing, the CDC is warning consumers not to eat any prepackaged caramel apples.
3 Caramel Apple Recalls
To date, there have been 3 caramel apple recalls. All of the companies used apples supplied by Bidart Brothers.
On December 24, 2014, Happy Apple Company of Washington, Missouri, voluntarily recalled Happy Apple brand caramel apples with a best use by date between August 25 and November 23, 2014. On December 27, 2014, California Snack Foods voluntarily recalled Karm’l Dapple brand caramel apples with a best use by date between August 15 and November 28, 2014. On December 29, 2014, Merb’s Candies of St. Louis, Missouri issued a voluntary recall of Merb’s Candies Bionic Apples and Double Dipped Apples that would have been available between September 8 and November 25, 2014.
Other brands of caramel apples may be linked to illnesses.
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