Minnesota company advises consumers, retailers to discard its Apple Cider due to presence of toxin

Pepin Heights Orchards, a Minnesota company, has issued an advisory to retailers and consumers in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin to discard some of its Honeycrisp Apple Cider because it contains excessive levels of a harmful toxin.

According to a release from Pepin Heights, the action is directed at Honeycrisp Apple Cider with a Use By date of Feb 09 2012. The apple cider product included in this advisory was sold in half-gallon plastic jugs at retail locations in the aforementioned states.

The company says this advisory is a precautionary measure and no consumers have reported any illnesses after drinking its Honeycrisp Apple Cider. It said it is taking the action because that specific product has tested positive for unsafe levels of patulin, which the company describes as a “natural byproduct of several species of mold.”

The Food and Drug Administration has not identified any dangers of short-term exposure to high levels of patulin but believes long-term exposure to this toxin could be harmful to a person’s health.