Late yesterday, the CDC reported that, as of June 3, 2013, it has reports of 34 people ill with acute hepatitis A that may be linked with eating berries purchased at Costco, Townsend Farms Organic Anti-Oxidant Blend, a berry mix often used for smoothies. These people are from the following states: Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, and California. However, there are also 3 confirmed cases from Hawaii, and our lawyers have been contacted by people from other states who may be part of this outbreak.
We are representing people who contracted Hepatitis A after eating this berry blend purchased at Costco. For more information, see “Can You Sue Costco for Hepatitis A Food Poisoning from Berries?”
If you do not have symptoms of Hepatitis A but ate the berries within the last 2 weeks, contact Costco about getting a free vaccination. This is extremely important.
Based on epidemiologic investigation of 25 cases:
- 15 (60%) ill people are women
- All people are ages 18 or older, ranging from 24 – 71 years
- Illness onset dates range from 4/29/2013 – 5/21/2013
- 11 (44%) ill people have been hospitalized
- 19 (76%) of 25 ill people interviewed reported eating ‘Townsend Farms Organic Anti-Oxidant Blend,’ a frozen berry and pomegranate seed mix
- 19 persons reported purchasing this product from ‘Costco’ markets; however, investigations are ongoing to determine if this product was sold at other stores or venues.
The investigation by state health departments, FDA, CDC and our lawyers is ongoing, but pomegranate seeds from Turkey are the prime suspect. Preliminary laboratory studies of specimens from two cases suggest the outbreak strain of hepatitis A virus (HAV) is genotype 1B. This strain is rarely seen in the Americas but circulates in the North Africa and Middle East regions. This genotype was identified in a 2013 outbreak in Europe linked to frozen berries and another 2012 outbreak in British Columbia related to a frozen berry blend with pomegranate seeds from Egypt. According to the label, The Townsend Farms Organic Anti-oxidant Blend frozen berry mix associated with illness contained pomegranate seeds and other produce from the US, Argentina, Chile, and Turkey. Hepatitis A is a human disease and usually occurs when an infected food handler prepares food without appropriate hand hygiene. However, food contaminated with HAV, as is suspected in this outbreak, can cause outbreaks of disease among persons who eat or handle food.