The FDA, along with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and state and local partners, said the strawberries were gone. branded as FreshKampo and HEB and were purchased between March 5 and April 25.
They were distributed nationwide and sold to various retailers such as Aldi, HEB, Kroger, Safeway, Sprouts Farmers Market, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Weis Markets and WinCo Foods.
Potentially affected strawberries have already exceeded their shelf life, the FDA said, but people who froze them for later use should not eat them.
“If you’re not sure what brand you bought it from, when you bought the strawberries, or where you bought them from before you froze them, the strawberries should be discarded,” the FDA warned.
Seventeen cases of hepatitis have been identified in California, Minnesota and North Dakota, leading to 12 hospitalizations, the FDA said. Follow-up investigations show that cases in California, Minnesota and Canada reported buying strawberries. More products may be included as research progresses. People fell ill between March 28 and April 30.
The FDA also recommends that anyone who has bought and eaten strawberries in the past two weeks who has not been vaccinated against hepatitis A consult with a healthcare professional to determine if post-exposure prophylaxis is necessary. Anyone who thinks they may have symptoms after eating strawberries should contact their healthcare provider.
According to the CDC, hepatitis A symptoms usually appear two to seven weeks after infection and usually last less than two months. Not everyone has symptoms, and some people can be sick for up to six months.
Symptoms may include yellow skin or eyes, unwillingness to eat, upset stomach, vomiting, stomach upset, fever, dark urine or light-colored stools, diarrhea, joint pain, and feeling tired.
Adults are more likely than children to have symptoms if they are infected.