Frozen fruit at big box stores recalled for possible Hepatitis A risk

Multiple frozen fruit products sold at big brand stores have been recalled recently due to potential Hepatitis A contamination.

On Monday, Willamette Valley Fruit Company voluntarily recalled some frozen fruit products containing strawberries grown in Mexico. The products with the contamination risk were distributed to three retailers: Walmart, HEB and Costco Wholesale Stores.

At Walmart, the recalled products include the Great Value Sliced Strawberries, Great Value Mixed Fruit and Great Value Antioxidant Blend distributed to some stores from Jan. 24, 2023 to June 8, 2023. The select stores listed in the recall are located 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.

At HEB, the recall includes the Rader Farms Organic Berry Trio sent to stores in Texas from July 18, 2022 to June 8, 2023.

And at Costco, it includes the Rader Farms Organic Fresh Start Smoothie Blend distributed in Colorado, Texas, California and Arizona stores from Oct. 3, 2022 to June 8, 2023.

Another recent recall at Costco involved a year-old product from Wawona Frozen Foods, Inc.

The company voluntarily recalled its Organic DayBreak Blend product sent to Costco stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, Utah and Washington from April 15, 2022 to June 26, 2022. The four-pound product included organic frozen strawberries grown in Mexico with the potential to be contaminated with Hepatitis A.

The product is no longer available for purchase, but consumers should still check their freezer, as the “Use By” date hasn’t passed yet. Those dates include Set. 23, Sept. 29, Sept. 30 and Oct. 18 of 2023.

“Consumers are urged to check their freezers for the recalled blend, not to consume it and either discard the product or return it to the store for a refund,” the company said in an announcement, posted to the Food and Drug Administration’s website.

Neither recall has had any illnesses associated with the products as of its publication date, but consumers should still act as stated above to prevent any risk of Hepatitis A infection.

The FDA describes Hepatitis A as a contagious virus that can range from a weeks-long mild illness to a months-long severe illness, with some infections potentially leading to liver disease. The “vaccine-preventable” infection is spread when someone ingests the virus, even in microscopic amounts, through eating contaminated food or drinks or through close contact with an infected person, the CDC says.

By Alex Arger, Scripps News.