In March, many grocers removed apples from their shelves in order to demonstrate concern about their customers' health.

Because of a growing number of food-safety warnings, consumers in March were indifferent to such warnings.

The report was delivered on television and also appeared in newspapers.

The report did not mention that any other fruit contains Alar, although the preservative is used on other fruit.

Public health officials did not believe that apples posed a health threat because only minute traces of Alar were present in affected apples.