See ways hepatitis A might have contaminated recalled frozen berries from Salem company

Ramon Padilla, USA TODAY
Updated ·4 min read
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Berries sold at Walmart, Costco and HEB stores are part of the recall.
Berries sold at Walmart, Costco and HEB stores are part of the recall.

A large producer of frozen fruit announced a recall this week for berries sold under the brand name Great Value at Walmart and the Rader Farms brand sold at Costco and HEB stores, according to a Food and Drug Administration press release.

Willamette Valley Fruit based in Salem, Oregon, said it is voluntarily recalling select packages of frozen fruit containing strawberries grown in Mexico because of potential hepatitis A contamination.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the hepatitis A virus is highly contagious and found in the stool and blood of people who are infected. It is spread when someone unknowingly ingests the virus – even in microscopic amounts – through eating contaminated foods or drinks or through close personal contact with an infected person.

Hepatitis A symptoms of can last up to two months and include fatigue, nausea, stomach pain and jaundice. While most do not have a long-lasting illness, it can also be prevented with a hepatitis A vaccination, the CDC says.

How can berries get contaminated with hepatitis A?

The investigation into Willamette Valley Fruit's berries is ongoing, and no cause has been pinpointed for the potential contamination, but the virus is generally transferred to berries in two ways, according to Ellen Shumaker, Ph.D., director of outreach for Safe Plates at North Carolina State University.

"Hepatitis A is spread through the fecal to oral route, which means that if a harvest worker who has hepatitis A is handling berries without washing their hands first, the virus is likely going to contaminate the berries," Shumaker said.

The other, more likely cause is contaminated irrigation water, Shumaker said. The irrigation water contaminated with human feces is sprayed onto the berries and then preserved when frozen, which makes matters worse.

"The act of freezing then also helps the virus to remain on the berries," Shumaker said. "Because frozen berries are often eaten without being cooked, there is no step that is removing the virus from the berries, leading to people getting sick."

What frozen berry products are recalled?

Products were distributed via the following retailers:

  • Walmart: Great Value Sliced Strawberries, Great Value Mixed Fruit, and Great Value Antioxidant Blend distributed to select Walmart stores in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming from Jan. 24, 2023, to June 8.

  • Costco Wholesale Stores: Rader Farms Organic Fresh Start Smoothie Blend distributed to Costco Wholesale stores in Colorado, Texas, California, and Arizona from Oct. 3, 2022, to June 8.

  • HEB: Rader Farms Organic Berry Trio distributed to HEB stores in Texas from July 18, 2022, to June 8.

What the recalled berry packaging looks like

An image provided by the FDA showing packaging of the products that are involved in the recall.
An image provided by the FDA showing packaging of the products that are involved in the recall.

For updated information and more photos check the FDA website.

According to the FDA release, no illnesses associated with this voluntary recall have been recalled.

The FDA also urges consumers to check their freezers for the recalled product, not to consume it and either discard the product or return it to the store for a refund. Products that have different lot codes or purchase dates are not subject to this recall.

Which berries are recalled at Walmart

Great Value Sliced Strawberries are packaged in a 64-ounce (4-pound) 1.81-kilogram  plastic bag with the following codes:

Great Value Antioxidant Fruit Blend, is packaged in a 40-ounce (2-pound, 8-ounce) 1.13-kilogram  plastic bag, with the following codes:

Great Value Mixed Fruit, packaged in a 64-ounce (4-pound) 1.81-kilogram  plastic bag, with the following codes:

Costco Wholesale mixed berry recall

Rader Farms Fresh Start Smoothie Blend, packaged in a 48-ounce (1.36-kilogram ) plastic bag containing six 8-ounce plastic pouches. With the following codes:

Which berries are recalled at HEB

Rader Farms Organic Berry Trio distributed to HEB packaged in a 3-pound (1.36-kilogram ) plastic bag. With the following codes:

A full list of recalled products can be found on the FDA page.

This is the third time this year that the FDA has posted recalls involving strawberries and Hepatitis A. The two others occurred on March 16 and 17.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Frozen berry recall 2023: How hepatitis A contamination happens