Walmart, Costco products added, Hepatitis fears

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said this week that another company has been added to the list of frozen strawberry recalls that have sickened people since November 2022. The recalled strawberry products may be infected with the Hepatitis A virus, which could infect anyone who eats any of the impacted products.

The latest company to be added to the strawberry recall list is the Willamette Valley Fruit Company, which provides strawberries that go into various strawberry products sold at Walmart, Costco, and HEB stores. Willamette is in addition to recalls of strawberry products provided by Wawona Frozen Foods, California Splendor, and the Scenic Fruit Company.

The sheer number of brands and products that are in danger of being infected with Hepatitis A is too long to list in its entirety here, but includes everything from Rader Farms Organic Fresh Start Smoothie Blends to Great Value Sliced Strawberries to Trader Joe’s Organic Tropical Fruit Blend Pineapple, Bananas, Strawberries & Mango.

The FDA’s website has all the information, which you should check if you have any strawberry products sitting in your fridge or cupboards. Impacted products were sold across the United States in stores including Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Costco, HEB, and other retailers. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Hepatitis A is a virus that can cause liver failure and death in severe cases. Symptoms may not show up for weeks after eating foods contaminated with the Hepatitis A virus. So far, there have been nine reported cases of Hepatitis A infections derived from the now-recalled strawberry products. Six of those cases occurred in Washington, two in California, and one in Oregon. While three of those cases required the persons to be hospitalized, thankfully there have been no reported deaths so far.

The CDC says that if you have any of the recalled products, you should throw them away or return them. It also advises that if you have discovered that you have consumed any of the recalled products in the last 14 days and are not vaccinated against Hepatitis A, you should contact your healthcare provider or local health department to discuss post-exposure prophylaxis, which can help prevent illness if received within two weeks of initial exposure to the virus.