Small businesses that have purchased specific frozen fruit products from Costco may need to check their stocks, following a recall by Wawona Frozen Foods due to a potential hepatitis A contamination, according to a report from Fox Business.
Wawona, a California-based company, is recalling the Organic DayBreak Blend, 4-pound bags of frozen fruit that include strawberries from Mexico. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been investigating firms, including Wawona, which may have received potentially contaminated strawberries, linked to nine hepatitis A infections, including three hospitalizations, across three states.
The frozen fruit bags under recall were distributed to Costco stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, Utah, and Washington between April 15, 2022, and June 26, 2022. Even though these products were sold last year, their “Use By” dates are in September and October 2023, which means they might still be in use by small businesses. Therefore, owners are urged to check their inventory and either discard the product or return it to Costco.
While the product is no longer on Costco’s shelves, small businesses might have purchased and stored these bags for future use. The hepatitis A strain responsible for the current infections is the same as the one causing a similar outbreak in 2022, linked to strawberries from Baja California, Mexico.
Hepatitis A infection symptoms include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and jaundice, which typically appear 15 to 50 days after consuming contaminated food or water. Infections can last from a few weeks to several months, and in rare cases, can lead to liver failure in severely ill or immune-compromised individuals.
The recall serves as a reminder for small businesses to stay updated on food safety recalls and to maintain strict inventory control and quality checks, ensuring the health and safety of their customers.
Yikes! Hepatitis is a nasty one to get from frozen fruit.