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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
A frozen berry recall tied to an E. coli outbreak keeps growing. Walmart has pulled Great Value Organic Triple Berry Blend from shelves in 16 states after the same Chilean supplier behind an earlier Publix blueberry recall expanded its recall. The outbreak has now sickened 17 people in Florida and Georgia, hospitalizing six — with frozen blueberries identified as the likely culprit.
A growing E. coli outbreak tied to frozen berries has prompted another recall — this time hitting Walmart shelves across 16 states. Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A., a Chilean produce supplier, expanded its recall to include one lot of Great Value Organic Triple Berry Blend (10-oz bags of strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries) after tracing the berry source back to its earlier recall. No illnesses have been directly linked to the triple berry blend yet, but the precautionary pull reflects how quickly the investigation is widening.
The outbreak, caused by E. coli O145:H28 — a toxin-producing strain — has sickened 17 people in Florida and Georgia since May, with 6 hospitalizations and no deaths. Of 13 patients interviewed, 11 reported eating frozen blueberries. The same supplier previously triggered a recall of GreenWise Organic frozen blueberries at Publix stores.
By the Numbers
Why it matters: Investigators haven't yet pinpointed how the berries became contaminated, and the FDA has warned that more products may be added to the recall. Clinicians should consider frozen berry exposure in patients presenting with bloody diarrhea or hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), particularly in the affected states.
