Editor’s note: This column was originally posted by the Michigan State University Extension Service.
Fall is here. Leaves are changing colors, the air is getting cooler and the last of the produce season is upon us. One fall produce item we can’t seem…
There are 18 days remaining in the public comment period on the Arctic Fuji as Okenagan Specialty Fruits Inc. seeks permission to market its third variety of genetically modified, non-browning apple. 
Neal Carter founded Okanagen Speciality Fruits in 1996 in Summerland, British Columbia. The company has developed genetically modified apples that…
SEATTLE — Sometimes when something that “just can’t happen” does happen, valuable lessons are learned. That was the case when some batches of commercially produced, packaged, whole caramel apples turned out to be the cause of a listeriosis outbreak in 2014-15 that infected 35 people from 12 states, putting 34 of them in the hospital. …
Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A. Inc. of Coral Gables, FL, is recalling some Granny Smith green apples because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. A total of 695 boxes containing 8 “Granny Smith” green apples each and 67 clear plastic bags containing 6 “Granny Smith” green apples each were distributed…
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” is more than a well-known saying — it’s also what many people believe to be time-tested truth. And the tradition of giving an apple to a teacher on the first day of school also says something about the apple’s solid reputation for being healthy and tasty.
In …
Following the recent outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes linked to caramel apples which killed seven people and hospitalized 34, the president of the U.S. Apple Association has called food safety the apple industry’s “top issue,” according to the Capital Press. Jim Bair, the association’s president, made the declaration on his most recent trip to Washington…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has decided to approve new types of apples that have been genetically engineered not to brown as quickly after being cut. Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc., the company that developed the Arctic Granny and Arctic Golden varieties is currently engaging in a voluntary food safety assessment consultation with the Food and…
(This article by Tom Karst, national editor of The Packer, was first published Aug. 26, 2014, and is reposted here with permission.) The U.S. Food and Drug and Administration’s new food safety regulations aren’t the only changes facing fresh produce marketers, but the coming rules likely will be the most far-reaching, Robert Brackett believes.…
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to halt use of a pesticide commonly applied to conventionally grown apples to limit storage damage until EPA has done further safety studies. EWG’s president, Ken Cook, wrote EPA on Thursday asking that the agency launch a new investigation to determine…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday that Crunch Pak®, a Cashmere, WA, company, was recalling more than 5,000 cases of Crunch Pak® Apple Slices due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. 
The apple slices subject to recall were shipped to regional distribution centers and sold to retailers. According to the announcement, the recall is…
