Many people might have purchased an organic antioxidant berry blend from Costco thinking they were buying a delicious and healthy snack. With foods such as pomegranate seeds, many thought they were making the right choice for their health. Consumers probably never even imagined they would come down with hepatitis A after eating the antioxidant berry blend, but for at least 30 people, personal injury and illness is exactly what happened.
At this point the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that Townsend Farms Organic Anti-Oxidant Blend is taking off store shelves everywhere.
At this point the government has not issued a recall . However, Costco has already taken the products of its shelves.
According to the CDC, there have been 30 hepatitis A illnesses reported that have been linked to the frozen berry mix. So far the illnesses have been reported in four states. However, since the illness typically occurs 15 to 50 days after exposure, more people may end up becoming ill.
Others also could have eaten the contaminated food, but did not get sick due to being vaccinated against hepatitis A.
Hepatitis A is a liver disease. It can last weeks to months, with symptoms including fatigue and abdominal pain. The illness can be spread when someone handling food does not properly wash their hands.
In this most recent hepatitis A outbreak, it is believed the contamination came from the pomegranate seeds, which came from Turkey. This is also certainly not the first time there has been a hepatitis A outbreak linked to frozen berries.
