THIRTY people infected with Hepatitis A after frozen berry mix from Costco sparks national outbreak

PUBLISHED: 17:35 EST, 1 June 2013 | UPDATED: 17:47 EST, 1 June 2013

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Thirty people have been infected with Hepatitis A, and nine of them hospitalized, in an outbreak traced to an organic frozen berry mix sold at Costco.

And health officials are bracing for more cases if cafes and restaurants that bought the frozen blend used it to make smoothies, frozen bar drinks and other desserts for customers.

The Food and Drug Administration and federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have linked the reported illnesses to Townsend Farms Organic Anti-Oxidant Blend, a mix of berries and pomegranate seeds produced by Townsend Farms in Oregon.

Outbreak: Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend of frozen berries sold through Costco stores, pictured, have been linked to an outbreak of Hepatitis A infections.

The first victim got sick on April 29 with the most recent case reported on May 17, although USA Today reports more are expected.

The victims, aged between 25 and 71 years old, live in Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona and California.

About 11 of 17 of those infected said they bought the berry mix at Costco, according to CNN.

A Costco spokesman said that the company has removed the product from stores and is attempting to contact members who purchased the product in recent months.

Infection: Costco, pictured, has pulled contaminated Townsend Farms Organic Anti-Oxidant Blend products from its shelves after it was linked to a multi-state outbreak of hepatitis A.

Townsend Farms lawyer Bill Gaar said the frozen organic blend bag included pomegranate seeds sourced from Turkey, and were only used in the product associated with the outbreak.

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'We do have very good records, we know where the (pomegranate seeds) came from, we're looking into who the broker is and we're sourcing it back up the food chain to get to it,' Mr Gaar said.

He said Townsend Farms believes Costco is the only customer who bought the product but are checking to see if any other retailers also sold it.

Contaminated: Frozen berries, pictured, produced at Townsend Farms in Oregon have been linked to an outbreak of Hepatitis A.

CNN reports state health departments, the FDA and the CDC are investigating, after notifying Townsend Farms on Thursday and sending investigators to the Fairview farm.

Hepatitis A is a highly infectious disease which inflames the liver, and is usually transmitted via contaminated food or water, or by someone who is infected.

The Mayo Clinic website states: 'Mild cases of Hepatitis A don't require treatment, and most people who are infected recover completely with no permanent liver damage.

However the World Health Organization says severe infection can lead to liver failure and death, with about 1.4 million cases of Hepatitis A annually worldwide.

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At first I thought it said THRIFTY people and thought "wow, judgmental. Maybe they just have big families." Turns out I just can't read.

- ElizaDevere , Los Angeles, Ca, 02/6/2013 01:15

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"Does Costco put that in their berry smoothies at the food court? - Sofia , Phoenix, United States, 02/6/2013 00:30" ------ Doubt it, if food courts used organic food they'd go bankrupt.

- Ryan , Chicago, 02/6/2013 01:05

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Does Costco put that in their berry smoothies at the food court? - Sofia , Phoenix, United States, 02/6/2013 ++++++++. No way. It's organic and they couldn't sell their food for so cheap if they used organic.

- Me , Here, United States, 02/6/2013 00:56

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Wouldn't you know it, organic and supposedly super healthy as well! Scary because I buy a lot of frozen fruit for smoothies too!

- iloura , Des Moines, 02/6/2013 00:55

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So much for Healthy Organic living! Organic from halfway around the world to your freezer! Now there's a load of marketing hype! Costco....please!

- ron , Murphy, NC, 02/6/2013 00:46

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Does Costco put that in their berry smoothies at the food court?

- Sofia , Phoenix, United States, 02/6/2013 00:30

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