Overview
- Publix has recalled all lots of GreenWise Organic Whole Blueberries and GreenWise Organic Whole Mixed Berries in 10-ounce and 48-ounce packages and the items remain off store shelves; customers should discard or return them for a full refund and clean any containers or surfaces that touched the fruit.
- Federal investigators at the FDA and CDC are probing an outbreak of Shiga toxin–producing E. coli O145:H28 that has produced 12 confirmed illnesses and four hospitalizations, with most cases reported in Florida and Georgia.
- The expanded retail recall broadens a July 3 supplier recall by Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A. that originally covered a single lot of 10-ounce GreenWise blueberries after epidemiologic interviews linked patients to frozen blueberries from Publix.
- The FDA conducted a remote inspection of the Chilean supplier, found concerns about additional lots, and added the company to an import alert that allows future shipments to be held without physical examination.
- Because frozen fruit can sit in home freezers for months, public-health officials warn the exposure risk can persist and say the investigation could identify more affected products while the import alert may slow future berry shipments to U.S. stores.