The U.S. Food & Drug Administration announced an investigation into FreshKampo or H-E-B brand organic strawberries for hepatitis A on Saturday. The FDA said not to eat, serve or sell those brands of strawberries if bought between March 5 and April 25.
“Currently, the potentially affected FreshKampo and HEB products are past shelf life. People who purchased FreshKampo and HEB fresh organic strawberries between March 5, 2022, and April 25, 2022, and then froze those strawberries for later consumption should not eat them,” the FDA said. The strawberries were distributed nationwide, according to the FDA. Known retailers for these products are:
Aldi
H-E-B
Kroger
Safeway
Sprouts Farmers Market
Trader Joe’s
Walmart
Weis Markets
WinCo Foods
During traceback investigations, the FDA found that, before becoming ill, individuals in California, Minnesota, and Canada purchased fresh organic strawberries as FreshKamp or H-E-B. Fifteen cases of a hepatitis A infection have been reported in California while Minnesota and North Dakota have each reported one case.
If you are unsure of what brand you purchased, when you purchased your strawberries, or where you purchased them from prior to freezing them, the strawberries should be thrown away, the FDA said. So far, 17 people have reported hepatitis A infections in three states, including 15 in California, one in Minnesota, and one in North Dakota.
Contact your healthcare provider if you think you may have symptoms of a hepatitis A infection after eating these fresh organic strawberries, or if you believe that you have eaten these strawberries in the last two weeks.
Symptoms of hepatitis A include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, jaundice, dark urine and/or pale stool. Symptoms can occur within 15 to 50 days after eating or drinking contaminated food.
