A frozen organic strawberry product subject to recalls is shown in a photo provided by the FDA.
Food and Drug Administration
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Food and Drug Administration
A frozen organic strawberry product subject to recalls is shown in a photo provided by the FDA.
Food and Drug Administration
Frozen organic strawberries sold in US stores, including Costco, Aldi and Trader Joe’s, have been recalled over the product’s potential link to an outbreak of hepatitis A infections in Washington state.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising people not to eat certain brands of frozen strawberries after five people who had eaten frozen strawberries last year later became ill. Two people were hospitalized, according to the federal agency.
An investigation by the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that all five infected people had purchased the same brand of frozen organic strawberries before becoming ill. Those berries, which came from a common supplier that imported them from some farms in Baja California, Mexico, “are the likely source of this outbreak.” the CDC said.
Two companies have since issued voluntary recalls in response to the investigation. California Splendor of San Diego Remembered specific lots of 4 pound bags of Kirkland Signature frozen organic whole strawberries sold at Costco stores in Los Angeles, Hawaii, and two San Diego malls.
Gresham, Oregon-based Scenic Fruit Company recalled frozen organic strawberries sold in various states — at Costco, Aldi, KeHE, Vital Choice Seafood and PCC Community Markets. The company also recalled a frozen organic tropical fruit mix, including strawberries, that is sold at Trader Joe’s locations nationwide.
The recall applies to frozen items sold under the following brands: Simply Nature, Vital Choice, Kirkland Signature, Made With, PCC Community Markets, and Trader Joe’s.
The FDA urges consumers to destroy these products or return them to their local store for a refund “out of an abundance of caution.”
Hepatitis A is a contagious liver infection, according to the CDC, is often spread through close contact with an infected person or by eating contaminated food or drink. Symptoms, which can take up to seven weeks to appear, can include vomiting, stomach pain, dark urine or pale stools, diarrhea, and fatigue.