Organic Applesauce Pouches Voluntarily Recalled over “Potential Adulteration”
Some packages of a popular brand of organic applesauce have been recalled due to concerns over potential product adulteration.
Materne North America Corp. (MNA) voluntarily pulled its GoGo SqueeZ applesauce pouches after food product residue was found in product pumps during an inspection of its factories by the Michigan State Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). No illnesses have been reported.
The recall was announced on GoGo SqueeZ’s Facebook page, as well as on the company’s website, by founder and CEO Michel Larroche:
“I deeply regret that I must let you know we are voluntarily recalling specific applesauce pouches that may not meet our quality standards. While it is possible the food product residue may have been incorporated into finished product, we test our applesauce extensively, and at this time, we have not seen evidence of this in our pouches.”
Larroche went on to say:
“Production of the above product has been suspended while we work with MDARD officials to continue their investigation, and we will not begin production in this factory again until we are confident the problem is fixed. All other production facilities continue to operate under our extreme caution and care. Additionally, we will be working closely with MDARD and bring a number of outside experts to work with us to prevent this from happening again. We will keep you updated with any new information.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says on its website that the GoGo squeeZ applesauce pouches in question have a best before date of 12/4/15-3/4/17 and a 5 digit production code beginning “US” followed by 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07 or 08. Consumers can find this information on the back of the pouch or on the bottom of the box.
Consumers who purchased the recalled GoGo SqueeZ applesauce should contact the company by phone at 1-888-275-5841 or online at the company’s website.
Last October, GoGo SqueeZ recalled some of its applesauce pouches due to possible mold. The company said the mold was tested and shown to be a harmless “common mold (like what can form on fruit).”
Still, the recall led some parents to write on GoGo SqueeZ’s Facebook page, asking for the company to switch to clear pouches, so that any mold or other defects would be visible. [1]
The company did not alter the pouches as requested.
Sources:
[1] ABC News
