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Kroger Is Recalling These Frozen Berries Due To Possible Hepatitis A Contamination

Be sure to double check those food labels in your freezer because Kroger has recalled some frozen berries due to a possible Hepatitis A contamination. In an announcement on Friday, June 7, both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the supermarket chain alerted consumers that three frozen berry products are being recalled due to the possible health risk, so here's what you need to know.

Romper's request for further comment on the recall was not immediately returned, but in a press release Kroger announced that it's recalling its 16 and 48 oz. Private Selection Frozen Triple Berry Medley as well as its 16 oz. Private Selection Frozen Blackberries. The frozen goods, manufactured by Townsend Farms, are being removed from stores shelves from across the country and Kroger is also alerting its customers through taped messages and phone calls about the possible contamination.

The FDA alerted Kroger after the federal agency tested a sample of the grocery store's Private Selection berries and found it to be contaminated with Hepatitis A. As a result, according to the FDA, the following items are being recalled:

  • PRIVATE SELECTION FROZEN TRIPLE BERRY MEDLEY, 48 OZ (BEST BY: 07-07-20; UPC: 0001111079120);
  • PRIVATE SELECTION FROZEN TRIPLE BERRY MEDLEY, 16 OZ (BEST BY: 06-19-20; UPC: 0001111087808);
  • PRIVATE SELECTION FROZEN BLACKBERRIES, 16 OZ (BEST BY: 06-19-20, 07-02-20; UPC: 0001111087809)

While no illnesses have been reported in connection with the recall, Kroger is still urging its customers to return the products to a store for a full refund or replacement. Consumers who have purchased the products and have questions can contact Kroger at 1-800-KROGERS, weekdays from 8 a.m. to midnight EST, and on the weekends from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. EST.

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver infection that spreads when individuals consume objects, foods, or drinks carrying small and undetected amounts of stool from an infected person. The illness can last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, and in some rare cases can be fatal. Most people with the infection recover within a few weeks with no lasting liver. However, the infection can be more damaging for people older than 50 or those with other previously existing liver diseases.

Older children and adults infected with the disease typically show signs including fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, stomach pain, darkened urine, and diarrhea, among other symptoms that surface two to six weeks after being exposed to the virus. However, children under 6 years of age often show no symptoms, according to the CDC.

The agency and experts recommend that all parents get their children vaccinated against the disease. While the preventative vaccine can cause only mild side effects including a sore arm and headache that last for one or two days, Hepatitis A can last for up to six months and has no specific treatment. Vaccination to prevent the infection will not only keep your child safe from the disease, but will also prevent the spread to others.

"Children under 6 years old with hepatitis A usually don’t have symptoms, but they often pass the disease to others without anyone knowing they were infected," the CDC says on its website.For more information on hepatitis A and vaccinations, click here for a fact sheet for parents provided by the CDC.

In the meantime, be sure to check your freezers for possibly contaminated frozen berries and, equally importantly, speak with a trusted health care professional about vaccinating your child against Hepatitis A and other diseases.