Applesauce Recalled After FDA Detects Elevated Mold Toxin - Newsweek

Wakefern Food Corp. has recalled select jars of Wholesome Pantry Organic Unsweetened Apple Sauce after routine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) testing detected elevated levels of patulin, a toxin produced by molds that can grow on damaged or bruised apples.

The recalled applesauce comes in 23-ounce plastic jars bearing UPC 04119005677 and a best-by date of June 16, 2027.

Wakefern said the product should not be consumed because the detected patulin level exceeded food-safety limits.

No illnesses or injuries had been reported when the FDA published the company announcement on September 22.

"Customers who purchased the recalled product can return it to the store for an immediate refund or replacement," said Maureen Gillespie, spokesperson for Wakefern Food Corp.

Newsweek contacted Wakefern Food Corp via email for further comment on Thursday morning. The company was asked to provide the number of jars involved, the states and stores where they were sold, the concentration of patulin detected and any corrective measures taken with the manufacturer or apple supplier.

Wakefern said no other products sold at the named supermarkets are affected by the recall.

Affected jars were distributed through ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Gourmet Garage and Fairway Market.

However, the company announcement does not provide a store-by-store or state-by-state distribution list.

Wakefern operates more than 380 supermarkets under several banners across New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, but that wider store footprint should not be treated as the confirmed recall area.

Use the map below to see the nine states where Wakefern’s member companies operate supermarkets. The company has not confirmed that the recalled applesauce was distributed in every state shown.

https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/30350927/

Patulin is a mycotoxin associated particularly with apples and apple-derived foods.

The FDA includes patulin among the mycotoxins it monitors in human food and says consumers generally cannot control whether these contaminants are present before a product reaches the market.

Although patulin is most closely associated with apples and products made from apples, it is not the same thing as visible mold in a jar. Mold can infect damaged fruit and produce the toxin before the fruit is turned into juice, puree or applesauce.

Wakefern has not disclosed the concentration detected in this product, the number of jars involved or a complete state-by-state distribution list.

A peer-reviewed scientific review published in the journal Toxins identified Penicillium expansum, which causes blue mold decay in wounded apples, as an important source of patulin contamination. The review said prevention can involve controlling fruit damage and rot, improving storage conditions and removing rotten apples before processing.

The FDA’s compliance guidance uses 50 micrograms per kilogram, equivalent to 50 parts per billion, as the action level for patulin in apple juice, concentrates and foods containing apple juice.

Before recommending legal action or detaining an import, the agency’s guidance says both an original analysis and a check analysis should find patulin at or above that level, with its identity confirmed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry.

The threshold supplies important context, but Wakefern has not disclosed the actual concentration found in the recalled applesauce.

It is therefore not possible from the public announcement to say how far the result exceeded the applicable limit.

The FDA describes an action level as a guide for regulatory decisions.

The existence of an action level does not mean that every exposure above it will cause illness, nor does it establish that anyone who consumed this product became sick.

Wakefern’s announcement said the level exceeded food-safety limits and did not meet the company’s quality standards. The issue was discovered through routine FDA monitoring rather than through reports of consumer illness.

The World Health Organization says mycotoxins are naturally occurring toxins produced by certain molds that can grow on crops and foods before harvest or during storage. Apples are among the foods that may be affected.

The organization says health effects vary considerably by toxin and level of exposure, ranging across the wider mycotoxin group from acute illness to longer-term effects. It also notes that many mycotoxins are chemically stable and can survive food processing.

Customers with questions can call 1-800-ShopRite, or 1-800-746-7748, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.