US Regulators: Hepatitis Outbreak Can Be Linked To Organic Strawberries

U.S. and Canadian regulators are investigating the spread of hepatitis that may be associated with fresh organic strawberries.

In a joint statement over the weekend, the Food and Drug Administration and the Canadian Public Health Agency said the diseases occurred in Minnesota, California and Canada after people ate FreshKampo and HEB-branded strawberries.

Agencies said the strawberries were purchased from March 5 to April 25. They were sold at various U.S. retailers, including Aldi, Kroger, Safeway, Walmart, and Trader Joe’s. In Canada, affected strawberries were sold between March 5 and 9 at cooperative stores in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

The shelf life of potentially affected strawberries has expired, but health officials say consumers who buy them and freeze them to eat later should throw them away.

There have been 17 diseases and 12 hospitalizations in the United States, the FDA said. Ten cases and four hospitals were reported in Canada.

Strawberry-based FreshKampo, Mexico-based, said in a statement Sunday that it is working with regulators to determine how the problem arose. FreshKampo said the potentially affected strawberry containers are labeled “Mexican” or “distributed by Meridien Foods”.

In a statement, Texas Foods HEB said on its website that it has not received or sold organic strawberries from a particular supplier since April 16..

Hepatitis A is a virus that can cause liver disease and, in rare cases, liver failure and death. Illness usually develops within 15-50 days after eating or drinking contaminated food or water. Symptoms include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and jaundice.

Consumers who have eaten potentially affected berries in the past two weeks and have not been vaccinated against hepatitis A should contact their doctor immediately, the FDA said.