The Huge Frozen Food Recall That Impacted 325,000 Pounds Of Fruit (At Aldi, Trader Joe's And Costco)

Back in March 2023, an enormous recall of frozen fruit was announced, impacting three major supermarket chains: Aldi, Costco, and Trader Joe's. The culprit was frozen organic strawberries that were potentially contaminated with hepatitis A, and a total of 325,692 pounds (147,731 kilograms) were recalled. The company behind the strawberries was Oregon-based Scenic Fruit Company, which sells organic frozen fruit, including a range of berries, rhubarb, bananas, mangos, and pineapples. The contaminated berries were apparently sourced from multiple farms in Baja California in northwestern Mexico, but more precise details about how the contamination occurred don't appear to have been reported.

However, it wasn't Scenic Fruit Company's name on the packaging for the recalled products, as the supermarkets used different branding on the berries. These brands included Simply Nature, Vital Choice, Made With, PCC Community Markets, Costco's Kirkland Signature brand, and Trader Joe's in-house brand. The strawberries were sold alone under most of those brands, although at Trader Joe's, they were part of a frozen tropical fruit blend. The berries also had to be recalled from a lot of locations. At Trader Joe's, they had been distributed nationwide, while the other brands had only been distributed across 19 states, mostly in the Midwest and West Coast.

Fortunately, while this is considered one of the biggest food recalls in Costco's history, nobody died. Only 10 cases of hepatitis A were linked to the recall; of those, four had to be hospitalized. For comparison, a 2013 frozen fruit recall at Costco resulted in 162 cases of hepatitis A. It's worth noting that hepatitis A outbreaks from food can be difficult to trace, as it can require a long incubation period (up to 50 days, although around four weeks is more common) for symptoms to show. If you're ever concerned, look out for the symptoms, which include fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, and jaundice. These can be more severe in older adults or people with pre-existing liver disease, while symptoms may not appear in kids under 6.

Also, it's important to know that, as this situation with frozen fruit shows, freezing your food doesn't kill off hepatitis A and many other foodborne pathogens. While freezing can eliminate some parasites, it just stops bacteria and viruses from multiplying until they thaw. However, washing or blanching frozen fruit and veggies can help kill enzymes, and cooking food above 185 degrees Fahrenheit kills hepatitis A.

However, it's arguably not something to worry too much about. According to one French study, only 5% of hepatitis A infections come from food: Other contaminants like salmonella are much more common. Of course, if you happen to have a recalled product in your pantry, it's always wiser to return it or throw it out, regardless of the reason.