Hepatitis A cases have been linked to strawberries sold at Walmart, Trader Joe’s and other top grocery stores.
Organic strawberries produced from two brands, FreshKampo and HEB, sold at stores including Walmart and Trader Joes have been linked to a US outbreak of hepatitis A.
The affected berries were purchased between March 5, 2022 and April 25, 2022.
The Food and Drug Administration is “investigating a multistate outbreak of Hepatitis A infections in the United States and Canada potentially linked to fresh organic strawberries branded FreshKampo and HEB,” the FDA website says.
The FDA urges consumers who have purchased and stored them in freezers to not consume and dispose of them.
Hepatitis A is an inflammation of the liver that can cause mild to severe illness, the World World Health Organization website reports.
In rare cases, Hepatitis A can cause liver disease and death. Most people who are infected can expect to make a full recovery within a few weeks.
So far, the FDA has reported 17 illnesses and 12 hospitalizations connected to organic strawberry consumption. 15 of those cases were from California, while Minnesota and North Dakota reported one each.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency are also investigating.
