Oct. 21--Some Chicago-area grocers and manufacturers of caramel apples say it's business as usual in peak treat season, unfazed by a study that prompted one of the nation's largest food retailers to pull the product from shelves.
Kroger last week removed all unrefrigerated caramel apples and destroyed all apples set for distribution to its 2,600 stores after a study published this month by the Food Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin found that listeria can grow on caramel apples when punctured with a stick.
Researchers introduced strains of listeria onto apples' skin, stem and base. The study found the presence of listeria increased 1,000-fold on caramel apples with sticks stored at room temperature after just three days. The apples that were refrigerated had no listeria growth after a week and some growth over three weeks. Those without sticks had no additional listeria growth after a month.
The testing was prompted by a listeriosis outbreak last year in which 35 people over 12 states were infected with listeria and seven people died.
Listeriosis symptoms include fever, muscle aches, nausea and diarrhea, but they may not appear until three to four weeks after tainted foods are consumed, so the cause can be hard to trace.
Wal-Mart, which was sued by victims in the 2014 outbreak, now requires its suppliers to keep caramel apples refrigerated both when they are being stored and distributed as a result of the research, said spokesman Aaron Mullins. It also now requires that all caramel apple labels recommend consumers refrigerate them after purchase.
Jewel-Osco spokeswoman Mary Frances Bragiel said the chain will continue to take "extra sanitary precautions" for fresh produce in general, but it will continue to sell caramel apples.
Mariano's will continue to sell them too, said James Highland, spokesman for parent company Roundy's. "We work closely with our pre-packaged caramel apple suppliers who use a rigorous multistep approach and take extraordinary measures to ensure the safety of our apples," he said.
One of those suppliers is Affy Tapple, of Niles, which makes more than 10 million caramel apples a year, with three-quarters of them sold in the fall.
Affy Tapple President and CEO Stuart Sorkin said he doesn't question the validity of the research, but noted that researchers introduced listeria to the apples to measure its growth.
Affy Tapples are sold unrefrigerated, but the label recommends that consumers "refrigerate for maximum freshness."
"It's common knowledge that you take lettuce and refrigerate it, but not everyone knows to refrigerate a caramel apple," Sorkin said.
For Kroger, it was a matter of tackling the issue before it became a problem. "This (case) is somewhat unique in the sense that there were no reported illnesses yet, but the study results were so compelling, we decided to take action," said Keith Dailey, director of media relations.
sbomkamp@tribpub.com
