Frozen organic strawberries sold at popular grocery stores, including Trader Joe’s and Costco, were recalled by the FDA on Friday after being linked to multiple hepatitis A cases.
The FDA reported that at least five people in Washington State contracted the highly contagious liver infection after consuming the strawberries, all traced back to California Splendor, Inc., a San Diego-based supplier.
“Based on epidemiological data collected by CDC, 5/5 (100%) people who provided information about what they ate before becoming ill reported eating frozen organic strawberries,” the FDA stated.
The affected strawberries were imported from farms in Baja California, Mexico.
The strain of hepatitis A virus causing the illnesses is genetically identical to the strain responsible for an outbreak in 2022, which was also linked to fresh organic strawberries from the same region in Mexico, according to the FDA.
The contaminated strawberries were distributed nationwide and stocked at Aldi, Costco, Trader Joe’s, KeHE, Vital Choice Seafood, and PCC Community Markets.
“Consumers, restaurants, and retailers should not sell, serve, or eat recalled frozen strawberries. These recalled products should be returned or thrown away,” the FDA advised.
California Splendor has recalled certain packages of its frozen strawberries from Costco stores across California. Additionally, Scenic Fruit Company of Gresham, Oregon, issued a voluntary recall due to the “possible health risk.”
Symptoms of hepatitis A typically appear 15 to 50 days after consuming contaminated products. “A virus infection includes fatigue, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, jaundice, dark urine, and pale stool,” according to the FDA.
“In some instances, particularly in children under the age of six, hepatitis A infection may be asymptomatic.”
