Hepatitis A Outbreak: Multiple brands of frozen strawberries and fruit products sold at Walmart, Costco and HEB stores are being recalled after being linked to a Hepatitis A outbreak that has sickened nine people.
The Food & Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are urging consumers not to eat the affected fruit and said restaurants shouldn’t serve the recalled products.
Consumers should also check their freezers as the products have a shelf-life of 18 months to two years. The products should be thrown out, the health agencies said. Check with stores about possible refunds.
The FDA said its ongoing investigation has linked the Hepatitis A infections to frozen organic strawberries imported from Baja California, Mexico. More products could be recalled, the FDA said in its update this week.
Hepatitis A is a contagious liver disease that is spread when someone ingests the virus, usually through close personal contact with an infected person or from eating contaminated food or drink, according to the CDC.
There have been nine outbreak-associated cases of Hepatitis A reported from three states — California, Oregon, and Washington — as of Monday, the CDC said. Washington has had six cases, two are in California two and one in Oregon. Three people have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported, the agency said.
In March, two companies recalled frozen strawberry products, which have also been linked to the outbreak with products sold in Trader Joe’s, Meijer, Aldi, select Costco stores and other retailers.
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