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Ban on sale of American apples relaxed
View(s):Apples imported from the United States of America -except for Granny Smith and Gala Apples and those originating from California – are safe for consumption, a circular issued revising the earlier ban, said.
The earlier directive issued by Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the Director General of Public Health, instructed importers to recall all apples imported from the US, regardless of the State mentioned in the certificate of origin.
According to the earlier directive Public Health Inspectors were responsible to ensure that importers and dealers recalled their stocks, to their stores.
The ban came as a result of reports of an outbreak of Listeria infection which caused seven deaths in the US. The cause of infection was traced back to apples the victims consumed, the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention stated.
Listeria infections can cause a serious, life-threatening illness, and children, pregnant women, adults 65 years or older and people with weakened immune systems, are at a higher risk of being infected.
However the importers were critical of the Health Ministry move to ban all apples from US. According to Saman De Silva, an importer, Sri Lankan importers do not import apples originating in California. The two varieties affected – Granny Smith and Gala apples – are not imported by Sri Lanka, Mr. De Silva said.