By Leada Gore
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control are investigating a link between strawberries sold nationwide in stores such as Walmart and Aldi and hepatitis A.
The FDA announced Saturday people should not eat, serve or sell FreshKampo or H-E-B brand organic strawberries if they were purchased between March 5 and April 25th.
“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 USDA said.
The products were sold at retailers nationwide, including:
- Aldi
- HEB
- Kroger
- Safeway
- Sprouts Farmers Market
- Trader Joe’s
- Walmart
- Weis Markets
- WinCo Foods
If you are unsure of what brand you purchased or when they were bought, the FDA recommends throwing themstrawberries away.
A total of 17 cases of hepatitis A, including 12 that required hospitalization, have been reported with cases in California, Minnesota and North Dakota.
Hepatitis A is a contagious disease that can cause liver damage and can be caused by consuming contaminated food or water. Contamination of food and water can occur when an infected handler prepares food without appropriate hand washing hygiene, according to the FDA.
Symptoms of hepatitis A infection include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, jaundice, dark urine, and pale stool. Illness usually occurs within 15 to 50 days after eating or drinking contaminated food or water.
