Trader Joe's recalls frozen fruit product for possible hepatitis A contamination

Trader Joe's issued a recall Thursday of its frozen Organic Tropical Fruit Blend for possible hepatitis A contamination. The best-by dates that could be affected include April 25, May 12, May 23, May 30 and June 7, 2024. The recall was voluntary, according to EatingWell.

"While there are aspects of our product supply-chain beyond our direct control, we will never leave to chance the safety of the products we offer," a Trader Joe's spokesperson told SFGATE via email. "We take action quickly, aggressively investigating potential problems and removing product from sale if there is any doubt about its safety or quality."

No illnesses have been reported, and Trader Joe's has removed all potentially affected products from its aisles and destroyed them. The national grocery store chain urges customers to discard any bags of Organic Tropical Fruit Blend they have on hand or return them to a store for a full refund.

Hepatitis A is a highly transmissible virus, though it can only be spread "through the fecal-oral route," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which includes eating contaminated foods. Symptoms include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, among others. In 2018, the CDC suspects that nearly 25,000 Americans were infected by the virus, citing that cases have increased dramatically since 2016.

Humans can prevent symptoms with a two-dose series of the hepatitis A vaccine, which can be administered by any doctor. Anyone over the age of 1 is eligible to receive the vaccine.

This is the third item recalled by Trader Joe's this month; the first two were for salad products that potentially contained undeclared wheat or nuts, which could cause illness or allergic reactions.