What To Know About The Recent Mass Recall Of Strawberries

If you've recently purchased some strawberries, you might want to take a look at the label before consuming them. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, is investigating a hepatitis A outbreak believed to be linked to two brands of organic, fresh strawberries. They were available for purchase in stores located in California, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Canada.

In a statement, the FDA said FreshKampo and HEB brands of strawberries were linked to the virus. It suggested people do not sell, serve, or consume any berries purchased between March 5 and April 25. The strawberries in question were available at Aldi, HEB, Kroger, Safeway, Sprouts Farmers Market, Trader Joe's, Walmart, Weis Markets, and WinCo Foods. The organization said there were 17 cases of the virus reported in the U.S., and 12 of those required hospitalization. No deaths have been reported.

The FDA noted that while the berries in question are past their shelf life, some people may have bought and frozen them for later use. Anyone who has recently purchased and frozen the strawberries should dispose of them immediately. If you do not remember the brand of strawberries you purchased, you should throw them away to be safe.

HEB said in a statement that all strawberries sold at its Texas stores are safe, adding that there were no illnesses from strawberries related to the FDA's investigation. The store also reported that it has not received any strawberries from the supplier since April 16. FreshKampo told USA Today that the affected products would have labels identifying them as "Products of Mexico" and "Distributed by Meridian Fruits." The company also said that it was working with officials to determine where the problem may have occurred.

Hepatitis A is a contagious liver condition that causes fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, pale stools, and a low-grade fever. Most of the time, conditions improve after a few weeks, but some cases can last months (via Mayo Clinic).