Listeria was found on equipment used to produce apple products by Missa Bay LLC, which is owned by Ready Pac Foods Inc. in New Jersey. No illnesses have been reported.
Packaged apple slices distributed to McDonald's and Burger King in some states are included in the recall. Also included are some packaged fruit, vegetables, salads and sandwiches containing apples distributed to Wawa convenience stores and Wegman's grocery chains, and various apple and fruit snacks with "Ready Pac" labels and apple salad kits with a "Safeway Farms" label.
Missa Bay said a total of 293,488 cases and 296,224 individual units went to the District of Columbia and 36 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
The company said the recalled items have use-by dates of July 8 through Aug. 20. Those who may have purchased the recalled products are asked to record use-by dates and UPC codes and contact Ready Pac at (800) 800-7822. More information on the voluntary recall is available on the company's website at www.readypac.com.
Listeria is a bacteria that causes food poisoning and is especially dangerous to pregnant women. While a pregnant woman may experience mild, flu-like symptoms, the illness caused by listeria can lead to miscarriage, premature delivery or life-threatening infection in newborns.
Symptoms in people besides pregnant women can include fever and muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
