FDA upgrades recall on fruit linked to stomach illness at NC Publix stores
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The Federal Drug Administration has upgraded a recall on frozen blueberries distributed at Publix stores, including those in North Carolina to Class 1, the highest risk level.
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The FDA upgraded a recall of frozen blueberries distributed by Publix due to E. coli risk. At least 12 have been sickened, and four hospitalized.
Class 1 recalls occur when there is “a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death,” according to the FDA.
The frozen Greenwise Organic blueberries were sent to Publix stores in North Carolina, as well as Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Some berries were originally recalled in early July, the Charlotte Observer reported. The recall was then expanded to more blueberries.
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The blueberries include:
E. coli bacteria is naturally found in the body, but some types are harmful to human beings. These forms produce Shiga toxins, which cause illness. Around 100 people die in the United States yearly of E. coli infections, according to the NC Department of Health and Human Services.
Primary sources of E. coli include raw and undercooked ground meat, raw milk and fecal contamination of produce, according to the World Health Organization. Cooking foods thoroughly and washing, and if possible peeling, produce helps lower risk.
The recall comes amid a wave of other recalls, including iceberg lettuce tied to cyclosporiasis and jalapenos tied to E. coli. E. coli cases tend to rise in the summer, as do cyclosporiasis cases.
Portions of this story were previously published in The Charlotte Observer.
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