The Food and Drug Administration is investigating an outbreak of hepatitis A linked to organic strawberries sold at major retailers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced an investigation into fresh organic strawberries potentially linked to a multi-case hepatitis A outbreak.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Canada, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency are also investigating strawberries.

The FDA said in a press release that the FreshKampo and HEB strawberry brands purchased between March 5 and April 25 are being investigated for a link to the outbreak in the United States and Canada. Consumers who purchased the fruit during this time period are asked to discard it.

“Currently, potentially affected FreshKampo and HEB products have outlived their shelf life,” the FDA wrote. “People who purchased FreshKampo and HEB organic strawberries between March 5, 2022 and April 25, 2022, and then frozen those strawberries for later consumption, should not eat them.”

RITZ leaves the Internet ‘fusing’ after explaining why the cracker looks like

The headquarters of the Food and Drug Administration is in Washington, DC. (iStock / iStock)

Grandma and their grandson say they made the world’s biggest Oreo: ‘It was a blast’

Strawberries are sold at many major retail chains, including Walmart, Costco, Trader Joe’s, Kroger, and Safeway.

Hepatitis A can cause mild to severe illness and, in rare cases, liver disease and even death, according to the Food and Drug Administration, although most people with the infection recover completely within a few weeks.

File – Close-up of a bunch of red strawberries (iStock / iStock)

Parents who need baby formula are being targeted by scammers during a national shortage

“If you are not sure what brand you bought, when you bought your strawberries, or where you bought them before they were frozen, discard the strawberries,” the FDA said.

Get your FOX business on the go by clicking here

The Food and Drug Administration has so far reported 17 illnesses and 12 hospitalizations associated with strawberries. A total of 15 cases were reported in California, while Minnesota and North Dakota each had one.