Federal dietitians say packages of FreshKampo and HEB brand strawberries may be associated with more than a dozen recent cases of hepatitis A in California.
In collaboration with the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Canadian Institute of Public Health, the Canadian Food Research Institute, and state and local partners, the United States and the United States have been involved in several outbreaks of hepatitis A infections.
Canada acquired fresh, organic strawberries with FreshKampo or HEB labels and purchased between March 5, 2022 and April 25, 2022.
“If you do not know what brand you bought, when you bought your strawberries or where you bought them before freezing them, you should throw away the strawberries,” the FDA warned. Notice.
According to regulators, strawberries were also sold at HEB, Kroger, Safeway, Sprouts farmers, Trader Joe’s, Weis Markets and WinCo Foods. The FDA has received reports of 17 hepatitis A cases in the United States since strawberries hit store shelves, and more than a dozen people have been hospitalized. Most cases are in California, but the FDA has registered one case in both Minnesota and North Dakota.
In Canada, 10 cases of hepatitis A and four hospitals linked to strawberries, according to the Associated Press.
No deaths were reported, according to the agency. Strawberries under investigation “could be a cause of disease in this eruption,” it said. The FDA’s investigation is ongoing, so other products may be linked to hepatitis cases.
HEB said it had not received or sold strawberries under investigation since April 16. The Texas-based grocery store maintained that its strawberries were safe, but said customers should throw away the organic strawberries they bought between March 5 and April 25.
“No diseases from strawberries related to FDA investigation have been reported in HEB or Texas,” the company said in a statement. Report Sunday.
FreshKampo is a Mexican based farmer and fruit and vegetable distributor. The company could not be reached for comment on Monday.
Hepatitis A is an infectious but treatable virus that infects the liver and causes dysfunction. Most people catch the virus from contaminated food or water.
The FDA says anyone who has already eaten harmful strawberries should see a doctor immediately and ask about the hepatitis vaccine.
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