Dive Brief:
- Asian countries are ramping up restrictions on U.S. apple imports due to a recent recall for a listeria outbreak among consumers who ate Bidart Bros.' apples, some of whom have died.
- While apple industry representatives are try to assuage the situation in Asia, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia have already stopped U.S. imports on two apple varieties, galas and granny smiths, while Sri Lanka has banned all U.S. apple imports.
- Instead of an all-out ban, Vietnam is holding and testing all U.S. apples, and Thailand is holding and testing the two main varieties implicated in the outbreak, according to The Packer.
Dive Insight:
U.S. apples have made headlines several times in the past few months. This latest development contradicts news from earlier this week that China now allows all imported U.S. apple varieties instead of only the two permitted before. Apparently, Asia is currently divided between the viability of American apple crops and the scare of a recent recall.