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Several Costco Hepatitis A outbreak lawsuits have been filed in California, and suits in Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah are anticipated. The claims against Costco seek compensation for Hepatitis A food poisoning that can cause liver damage, and can be fatal.
The Costco Hep A lawsuits include claims against Townsend Farms, Inc., an Oregon company whose Organic Antioxidant Blend mixed berries have been associated with the outbreak. An attorney for Townsend Farms and the CDC have stated that pomegranate seeds in the berry blend are most likely the ingredient that was contaminated and caused the illnesses.
The outbreak continues to grow. As of June 5, 2013, 61 people have been diagnosed with acute hepatitis A infections that may be linked to eating Costco-Townsend Farms berries. These people live in seven states: Arizona, California Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah . These numbers are expected to grow as the investigation continues.
On June 3, 2013, several days after the company knew its product was the primary suspect in the outbreak, Townsend Farms recalled certain lots of its frozen Organic Antioxidant Blend. The recall announcement stated that this product has the potential to be contaminated with hepatitis A virus.
The product was sold at Costco warehouse stores under the product name Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend, 3 lb. bag and UPC 0 78414 404448. The recalled codes are located on the back of the package with the words “BEST BY”; followed by the code T012415 sequentially through T053115, followed by a letter. All of these letter designations are included in this recall for the lot codes listed above.
The product was also sold at Harris Teeter stores from April 19 until May 7, 2013, under the product name Harris Teeter Organic Antioxidant Berry Blend, 10 oz. bag UPC 0 72036 70463 4. The correct “Lot” and “best by” codes are as follows: Lot Codes T041613E, T041613C and a “BEST BY” code of 101614.
Preliminary laboratory studies of specimens from two states suggest the outbreak strain of hepatitis A virus (HAV) is genotype 1B, a strain that is rarely seen in the Americas but circulates in the North Africa and Middle East regions, including Turkey, the country of origin for the the pomegranate seeds in the implicated Townsend Farms berry blend.
Food contaminated with Hepatitis A (HAV), as is suspected in this outbreak, can cause outbreaks of disease among persons who eat or handle food. Severe cases of HAV can cause liver damage and can be fatal.