Thai authorities have seized a shipment of apples imported from the United States following a warning that the apples could be contaminated with a deadly bacteria.
The apples are being examined at Laem Chabang deep-sea port by the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said Wimon Chanthararothai, deputy permanent secretary of the Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister.
The minister received a warning letter from the US FDA on Wednesday and then instructed the Department of Agriculture to check 35 agriculture shipment checkpoints nationwide to ensure the contaminated apples did not find their way to markets.
According to the warning, Gala apples and Granny Smith apples from a 2014 harvest were recalled in the US due to their association with the deadly Listeriosis bacteria.
"These recalled products could cause serious adverse health consequences or death," according to the letter.
Listeriosis can be fatal, especially in certain high-risk groups including the elderly, pregnant women, babies and people with weakened immune systems. But it will not seriously harm those who are in good health, according to the US FDA.
Batches of the produce had been shipped from the California-based supplier Bidart Bros late last year to be sold in countries, including Thailand.
Six companies exports those apples to Thailand — Fiesta Fruit, MB Fresh International, Paramount Export Co, United Fruits Corp, Voita Citrus, and Dovex Export Co, according to the US FDA.
The apples in the past have been sold under the names Granny’s Best or Big B.
The US FDA said it does not have the power to follow up on recalled products that might have been shipped internationally so it informed the Thai authorities, according to Mr Wimon.
Mr Wimon said the seized apples are Granny Smith and other varieties but were not from Granny’s Best or Big B brands.
Mr Wimon said the ministry checked its records dating back to 2013 and found no report of imported shipments of the apples from those six companies.
Prapon Angtrakul, deputy secretary-general of the Thai FDA, said there have been no reports of contaminated apples in Thailand.
However, the Thai FDA has instructed its officials at agriculture product checkpoints to collect samples of imported products, not only apples, for examination.
According to Dr Opas Karnkavinpong, deputy director-general of the Department of Disease Control, listeriosis can be found in the environment and water sources.
It may contaminate fresh fruit, vegetables and milk, making them harmful to eat, the doctor said. Listeriosis can become serious when it causes blood infections and infections of the brain, he said.