Regulators are investigating a hepatitis A outbreak across the U.S. and Canada that may be linked to fresh organic strawberries, with more than a dozen cases reported in California so far.
In a joint weekend statement, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Public Health Agency of Canada said people fell ill after consuming FreshKampo and H-E-B brand strawberries.
There have been 17 illnesses and 12 hospitalizations reported in the U.S., the FDA said, with 15 of those cases occurring in California.
The agencies said the strawberries were purchased between March 5 and April 25. They were sold at various U.S. retailers, including Aldi, Kroger, Safeway, Walmart and Trader Joe’s.
Mexico-based FreshKampo, which grew the strawberries, said in a statement Sunday that it is working with regulators to determine how the problem occurred. FreshKampo said the label on the containers of potentially affected strawberries would have said “Product of Mexico” or “Distributed by Meridian Foods.”
Meridian Fine Foods, a FreshKampo subsidiary, is based in Fresno.
The potentially affected strawberries are past their shelf life, but health officials say consumers who purchased them and froze them to eat later should throw them away.
Hepatitis A is a virus that can cause liver disease and, in rare cases, liver failure and death. Illness usually occurs within 15 to 50 days after eating or drinking contaminated food or water. Symptoms include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and jaundice.
Consumers who ate the potentially affected berries in the last two weeks and have not been vaccinated against hepatitis A should immediately consult with a physician, the FDA said.