And you thought you were being extra careful by buying organic strawberries.
The Food and Drug Administration is investigating a Hepatitis A outbreak that looks like it could be traced back to an organic brand of the fruit.
From the Wall Street Journal:
Two brands of organic strawberries sold at major chains such as Trader Joe's and Walmart may be linked to an outbreak of hepatitis A, the Food and Drug Administration said.
The FDA said in a statement Saturday that it is investigating a multistate outbreak of hepatitis A infections in the U.S. and Canada that appears to be linked to fresh, organic strawberries.
The potentially tainted fruit carried a FreshKampo or H-E-B label, the FDA said. Anyone who purchased those brands of berries between March 5 and April 25 and froze them for later consumption should get rid of them immediately, the agency urged.
(Or you could just throw the strawberries away because they are a VERY overrated fruit that's not very good.)
You are past the danger zone already, since this applies to berries purchased from March 5-April 25. So if you bought these berries… you might need to get a Hep test.
The products were sold at stores such as Aldi, H-E-B, Kroger, Safeway and Weis Markets, along with Trader Joe's and Walmart, the FDA said.
The FDA, which is conducting its investigation along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said 17 people have been sickened thus far, with 12 hospitalizations.
"The traceback investigations show that cases in California, Minnesota, and Canada report having purchased fresh organic strawberries branded as FreshKampo or H-E-B prior to becoming ill," the FDA said.
The extra price for organic definitely did not pay off this time.
Although, if you're in Texas and shopped at H-E-B, that company thinks you're safe.
In a statement on its website, Texas-based H-E-B said its strawberries are safe to consume.
"No illnesses from strawberries related to the FDA investigation have been reported at H-E-B or in Texas," the company said.
"The FDA is conducting an investigation into organic strawberries sold between March 5 and April 25, 2022. H-E-B has not received or sold organic strawberries from the supplier under investigation since April 16," H-E-B said.
FreshKampo, based in Fresno, Calif., didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
I'd still check your freezer!
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