Listeria, Hepatitis, and the Food Poisoning Risk of Frozen Berries

Because some pathogens can survive freezing temperatures, frozen berries can pose a food poisoning risk. Food poisoning recalls and outbreaks linked to frozen berries are often caused by Listeria or Hepatitis A. Known for their hardiness, these pathogens can only be destroyed by high heat. Here’s what you need to know.

Hepatitis A Symptoms and Transmission

Hepatitis A is a highly contagious virus that causes inflammation of the liver. These vaccine-preventable infections usually resolve on their own within eight weeks. But Hepatitis A poses the risk of liver failure for some people, including:

• People over 60
• People who are immunocompromised
• People who have chronic liver disease or other underlying health conditions

Hepatitis A is transmitted through close contact with an infected person or when stool from an infected person contaminates food that others later eat. This often happens when infected food handlers don’t properly wash their hands after using the restroom. Or, when contaminated irrigation water is used to grow crops.

Symptoms of a Hepatitis A infection usually develop within two to seven weeks of exposure and last about two months. They include:

• Yellowing of the skin or eyes
• Dark urine
• Light-colored or clay-colored stools,
• Decreased appetite
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Abdominal cramps
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Joint pain

Symptoms of a Listeria Infection

Listeria can cause severe illness and death. Among pregnant women, Listeria can cause miscarriage or stillbirth. Usually, symptoms of a Listeria infection appear within 24 hours of eating contaminated food, but sometimes they can take as long as 10 weeks to develop. They include:

• Severe headache
• High fever
• Stiff neck
• Other muscle stiffness
• Nausea
• Abdominal pain
• Diarrhea
• Loss of balance, confusion, convulsions.

Pregnant women can suffer a miscarriage or stillbirth even if they only experience mild flu-like symptoms.

Frozen Berry Recalls and Outbreaks

Recent outbreaks linked to frozen berries have been associated with imported berries. There hasn’t been a virus outbreak associated with domestic berries since 1990, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

After a string of recent outbreaks linked to imported frozen berries, the FDA developed a strategy to prevent human illness from fresh and frozen berries. The strategy outlines prevention measures for the industry, including:

• Promoting high rates of compliance with FDA food safety requirements.
• Encouraging the berry industry to adopt pre- and post-harvest sanitary practices.
• Promoting the use of a root cause analysis when there is a food safety failure.
• Broadening scientific knowledge of viruses in fresh and frozen berries, in processing environments and agricultural water sources.
• Incentivizing industry and governments to embrace immunization programs to promote worker health.

Oregon Potato Company Blueberry Listeria Recall

A February 2026 Listeria recall for IQF frozen blueberries sold in 30-lb polyethylene bags included 56,000 pounds of product. The recalled berries have expiration dates ranging from 7/23/2027 to 11/25/2027.

2023 Hepatitis Recall and Outbreak – Frozen Strawberries Imported from Baja California, Mexico

A 2023 Hepatitis outbreak linked to frozen strawberries imported from Mexico sickened 10 people in four states. Four people were hospitalized. The tainted berries were sold under the brand names:

• Kirkland Signature
• Simply Nature
• Vital Choice
• PCC Community Markets
• Trader Joe’s
• Wawona
• Rader Farms
• Great Value

2022 Organic Strawberries Hepatitis A Outbreak

In 2022, a Hepatitis A outbreak linked to organic strawberries sold at ALDI, HEB, Kroger, Safeway, Sprouts Farmers Market, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Weis, and WinCo Foods sickened 18 people in three states. Thirteen people were hospitalized.

Sold under the brand names FreshKampo and HEB, the organic strawberries sickened 16 people in California and two people in Minnesota and North Dakota. Ten cases were also reported in Canada.

2016 Hepatitis Recall and Outbreak – Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Frozen Strawberries Imported From Egypt

In 2016, frozen strawberries imported from Egypt were linked to a Hepatitis A outbreak at Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations that sickened 134 people in nine states. Fifty-six people were hospitalized. A recall initially included only berries sold to Tropical Smoothie Cafes, but was later expanded to include berries sold at retail stores under the brand names:

• CH World
• James Farm
• Sysco
• Patagonia
• Reddy Raw

2013 Townsend Farms Frozen Berries Hepatitis A Outbreak

The hepatitis A outbreak linked to Townsend Farms berries sold at certain Costco stores ended after sickening 162 people in 10 states. The number of illnesses reported from each state was: Arizona (23), California (79), Colorado (28), Hawaii (8), New Hampshire (1), New Jersey (1), New Mexico (11), Nevada (6), Utah (3), and Wisconsin (2).

Health officials determined that pomegranate seeds in the frozen berry mix were the initial source of the outbreak. The implicated pomegranate seeds were supplied by the Turkish company, Goknur Foodstuffs Import Export Trading.

Related

Kroger Listeria Recall for Frozen Mango Chunks and Fruit Medleys

Frozen Fruit Recall at Walmart, Whole Foods, Target, ALDI…

Hepatitis A Outbreak Linked to Fresh Thyme Blackberries Ends

Dole Fresh Blueberries Recalled For Possible Cyclospora Contamination

Hepatitis Outbreak from Strawberries Ends [Updated]

FDA Works to Improve Safety of Fresh and Frozen Berries

Berries are a Common Source of Hepatitis A outbreaks.

Experienced Hepatitis A Lawyers

If you got sick from contaminated berries and would like a free consultation about filing a lawsuit, please contact our experienced hepatitis A lawyers. You can reach them by calling 1-888-377-8900, sending a text to 612-261-0856, or by completing the form below. There is no obligation, and we don’t get paid unless we win.