Publix is pulling every lot of its GreenWise Organic Whole Blueberries and Whole Mixed Berries from store shelves across eight states, including Tennessee, after health officials linked the frozen fruit to a multistate E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least 12 people.
The Lakeland, Florida based grocery chain announced the expanded recall Wednesday, saying it is acting “out of an abundance of caution” after a trace back and epidemiological investigation connected the products to an E. coli O145 outbreak. The move widens a narrower recall issued earlier this month.
The recalled berries were sold at Publix locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Publix says it quietly halted sales of the products internally at the end of June, meaning they have already been unavailable for purchase for several weeks.
This latest action expands on a July 3 recall from Chilean supplier Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A., which had only covered a single lot of GreenWise Organic Blueberries. Publix says new information from the ongoing public health investigation led the company to broaden the recall to include every lot of both the whole blueberries and whole mixed berries products.
Shoppers who have any of the recalled berries at home are urged not to eat them. The products can be thrown away or returned to any Publix location for a full refund. The recall covers GreenWise Organic Whole Blueberries in 10 ounce packages, UPC 41415-06453, and 48 ounce packages, UPC 41415-12053, along with GreenWise Organic Whole Mixed Berries in 10 ounce packages, UPC 41415-06753, and 48 ounce packages, UPC 41415-12153.
The strain involved, E. coli O145:H28, is a Shiga toxin-producing bacteria that can cause severe cramping, diarrhea that is sometimes bloody, and vomiting, according to the FDA. Most healthy adults recover within about a week, but the infection can occasionally develop into hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious complication that poses greater risk to young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems.
Publix has not yet responded to questions about whether any illnesses have been tied directly to its stores or what specific findings prompted the recall to expand to all lots.
Customers with questions can reach Publix Customer Care at 800-242-1227, available 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday. More information on the outbreak investigation is available through the CDC.
Publix, the largest employee-owned company in the country, operates more than 1,400 stores throughout the eight affected states.