FDA Issues Highest Alert for Frozen Berries Linked to E. coli Outbreak in U.S.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has escalated its warning for GreenWise brand frozen blueberries and mixed berries to the highest Class I risk level. This action follows confirmation of an E. coli outbreak linked to the products. The alert signifies a "reasonable probability" that exposure could lead to severe health consequences or death.

Publix supermarkets had already initiated a recall on July 29 for four varieties of organic GreenWise blueberries and mixed berries sold in stores across eight states due to potential E. coli contamination. The FDA's Class I alert underscores the seriousness of the situation.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 12 individuals have been infected with the E. coli strain responsible for the outbreak in two states. While no fatalities have been reported in connection with this specific outbreak, the FDA cautions that E. coli infections can cause severe abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea, and vomiting. Although most healthy individuals recover within a week, some infections can develop into hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication particularly dangerous for young children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems. In severe cases, HUS can lead to kidney failure and be life-threatening.

This heightened alert comes as the U.S. also grapples with a separate outbreak of cyclosporiasis, which authorities have linked to Mexican lettuce. The affected GreenWise products, distributed in Publix stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, include whole blueberries (10 and 48 ounces) and mixed berries (48 ounces).