Malaysian ban on Gala, Granny Smith apples causes confusion

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has banned the imports of two types of apples from California after it received notice from US authorities that the produce may be tainted with the Listerosis bacteria.

But many Malaysian consumers have trouble differentiating the many types of apple on sale. Also worrying, the sellers too have little idea where the fruits come from.

According to US media reports, two strains of bacteria that cause Listeriosis have been found in apples from the Bidart Brothers plant in California. The last shipment of the affected apples was on Dec 2.

The affected produce was sold under the names Big Big and Granny's Best, but the company says they could also be sold under other brand names or with no name at all. Authorities have seized almost 20,000 apples from the east Malaysian state of Sarawak.

Consumers have been advised to ask fruit sellers where their apples are from. Gala and Granny Smith are among the most popular brands of red and green apples on sale in Malaysia. They can be found in supermarkets, and most wet markets – but unlike in supermarkets where fruits are labelled, it is hard to be sure of the brands when they are purchased from the latter.

"I have asked those who import from (the Bidart Brothers plant) not to import from them and not to distribute the products," said Malaysian Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam. " As for those (apples) in the (wet) market, it's a very hard question for me to answer. I think if people want to avoid them, as a precautionary measure, they can do so for the time being"

A fruit seller said: "Some apples like Royal Gala have stickers. Some countries have label stickers on every piece, others don't; they put it on their boxes, but if customers ask us, whether they are regular or not, we will tell them that our apples are not the affected ones from the United States."

The Malaysian health ministry meanwhile has said that Listeriosis is not dangerous. It causes high fever, severe headache and nausea, and can be treated in most cases with antibiotics. However, high-risk groups like the elderly, pregnant women and babies need to be watchful.

While new imports are banned, random tests are being conducted on green and red Californian apples that are already in local markets. Results will be known in a few days.