The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued an advisory against eating, serving, or selling FreshKampo or HEB brand organic strawberries purchased between March 5, 2022, and April 25, 2022, at Aldi, Walmart, and other retailers.

The agency has recorded 17 cases of hepatitis A infections and 12 hospitalizations associated with the product.

Cases have been reported in California, Minnesota, and North Dakota. However, the strawberries were sold nationwide.

The FDA, along with CDC, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, state, and local partners are investigating a multistate outbreak of hepatitis A infections in the United States and Canada potentially linked to fresh organic strawberries branded as FreshKampo and HEB, purchased between March 5, 2022, and April 25, 2022.

Currently, the potentially affected FreshKampo and HEB products are past shelf life. People who purchased FreshKampo and HEB fresh organic strawberries between March 5, 2022, and April 25, 2022, and then froze those strawberries for later consumption should not eat them. These products were sold at the following retailers, including, but not limited to:

  • Aldi
  • HEB
  • Kroger
  • Safeway
  • Sprouts Farmers Market
  • Trader Joe’s
  • Walmart
  • Weis Markets
  • WinCo Foods

If you are unsure of what brand you purchased, when you purchased your strawberries, or where you purchased them from prior to freezing them, the strawberries should be thrown away.

Illness onset dates range from March 28 – April 30, 2022.

Recommendation

Contact your healthcare provider if you think you may have symptoms of a hepatitis A infection after eating these fresh organic strawberries, or if you believe that you have eaten these strawberries in the last two weeks.

Symptoms

The Illness usually occurs within 15 to 50 days after eating or drinking contaminated food or water. Symptoms of hepatitis A infection include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, jaundice, dark urine, and pale stool. In some instances, particularly in children under the age of six, hepatitis A infection may be asymptomatic.

People with hepatitis A infections usually completely recover within one to two weeks; however, in rare cases hepatitis A may become chronic, causing relapsing infection. Chronic hepatitis A infection can lead to more severe health problems, including liver failure, and death.

Due to the range in severity of illness, people should consult their health care provider if they suspect that they have developed symptoms that resemble a(n) hepatitis A infection.

At-Risk Groups

All people are susceptible to hepatitis A infection; however, individuals who have had hepatitis A before or who have been vaccinated are immune to hepatitis A infection. Learn more about People at Risk of Foodborne Illness.