Publix has pulled every lot of its GreenWise organic frozen blueberries and mixed berries from the market, expanding a recall that began with a single lot in early July, after federal investigators linked the fruit to an outbreak of a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli strain.
The FDA has also added the Chilean supplier, Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A. of San Carlos, to Import Alert 99-35. Frozen blueberries from that firm offered for entry into the United States "may be detained without physical examination," meaning shipments can now be stopped at the port before anyone tests them.
That action came after the illnesses, not before them. This is not a failure of the alert system so much as a description of it. Import alerts are triggered by evidence of a problem, and the evidence usually arrives in the form of sick people.
Twelve Illnesses, Two States, and a Recall That Grew
The outbreak is small in case count and serious in character. As of the FDA's early July update, 12 people infected with E. coli O145:H28 had been reported, 11 in Florida and one in Georgia, with four hospitalizations. Illness onset dates ran from May 11 to June 5.
Investigators reached the blueberries through interviews and genetics rather than through a positive product test. Of nine people questioned, seven, or about 78 percent, reported eating frozen blueberries, compared with roughly 24 percent in a national baseline survey of what healthy people typically eat. DNA fingerprinting then showed the bacteria from patients were closely related, which points to a single shared source.
The recall arrived in two stages. On July 3, Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur recalled one lot of 10-ounce GreenWise Organic IQF Blueberries, lot code 60401, with a best-by date of February 9, 2028. On July 29, after further epidemiologic data, Publix recalled all lots of GreenWise Organic Whole Blueberries and Whole Mixed Berries in 10-ounce and 48-ounce packages, distributed to stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
The products had not been on shelves since late June. The expanded recall exists because frozen fruit lives in home freezers for months, which is why a frozen product recall behaves differently from a lettuce recall.
The Import Alert Came After the Outbreak, Not Before
Import Alert 99-35 does real work, and understanding what it does clarifies what it cannot do.
Once a firm is listed, its shipments can be detained on arrival without FDA physically examining or testing them. The burden flips to the company, which must submit documentation showing it has corrected the conditions that gave rise to the apparent violation before product moves again. That is a fast, powerful lever.
It is also a reactive one. FDA physically examines only a small share of the food entering the country, and the agency's own outbreak advisory shows the sequence plainly: illnesses in May, a supplier recall on July 3, an inspection, then the import alert. By the time the border closed to this firm's blueberries, the implicated product had already been distributed, sold, and frozen into household inventory across eight states.
The same pattern showed up in a separate case this year, when FDA placed a Chinese supplier's arachidonic acid oil on an import alert after a contaminated ingredient had already been incorporated into infant formula sold in multiple countries.
Verification Is the Importer's Job, and Many Skip It
The rule meant to catch problems before the border is the Foreign Supplier Verification Program, and it sits with the importer rather than the government.
Under FSVP, a U.S. importer must identify hazards in each food it brings in, evaluate the foreign supplier's food safety performance history, and "conduct appropriate supplier verification activities" such as annual onsite audits by a qualified auditor or sampling and testing. Importers must also reevaluate the food and the supplier at least every three years.
Enforcement records suggest compliance is uneven. FDA has issued a steady stream of FSVP warning letters this year, including a batch to six importers across five states covering tea, produce, and sauces, and further batches in the weeks since. The most common finding in these letters is not sloppy paperwork. It is that the importer had no written verification program at all for the foods in question.
That gap matters most for ready-to-eat imports. A frozen blueberry is not cooked before eating in most households. It goes into a smoothie, a bowl of yogurt, or a child's snack cup exactly as it arrived, which means any contamination present at the farm or packing house travels intact to the table.
Freezing Does Not Kill What Is Already There
The most common consumer misconception in cases like this one is worth naming directly.
Freezing suspends bacterial growth. It does not sterilize. E. coli, Listeria, Cyclospora, and hepatitis A can all survive months at freezer temperatures and become active again once the food thaws. A bag of berries that has sat frozen since June carries the same organisms it carried in June.
Rinsing helps less than people assume, because bacteria adhere to the fruit surface and berries cannot be scrubbed. Cooking to a proper temperature does inactivate E. coli, which is why frozen berries baked into a muffin pose less risk than the same berries blended raw. That is a useful distinction for a household deciding what to do with a bag whose lot code is unclear, though the recall instruction is to discard or return the product rather than to cook it.
For anyone with recalled product, the practical steps are to throw it out or return it for a refund, and to wash and sanitize any surface, blender jar, or container the berries touched, using hot soapy water or a dishwasher.
Symptoms That Mean Calling a Doctor Today
Shiga toxin-producing E. coli is not a routine stomach bug, and the symptom that separates it from one is blood.
Symptoms usually begin three to four days after exposure, though the range extends from one to nine days. The typical presentation is severe stomach cramps, diarrhea that is often bloody, and vomiting. Fever, when present, is usually low.
The complication that makes this strain dangerous is hemolytic uremic syndrome, a form of kidney failure that develops in a small percentage of cases, most often in children under 5 and adults over 65. Warning signs include decreased urination, unusual fatigue, and loss of color in the cheeks and inside the lower eyelids. That combination warrants emergency evaluation.
Anyone with bloody diarrhea, diarrhea lasting more than three days, a fever above 102 degrees, or vomiting that prevents keeping liquids down should contact a clinician. It is worth mentioning frozen berries by name, because that detail can prompt the specific stool testing that connects a case to an outbreak.
Antibiotics are generally not recommended for suspected Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infection, as some evidence suggests they may raise the risk of hemolytic uremic syndrome. That decision belongs to a treating clinician, not to a patient reading a news article.
FDA's investigation into the source of contamination remains open, and the agency has said additional products may be added to the advisory. MedicalDaily will monitor the FDA and CDC outbreak pages for new cases, expanded recalls, and any change in the import alert status.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which products are recalled? All lots of GreenWise Organic Whole Blueberries and Whole Mixed Berries in 10-ounce and 48-ounce packages, sold at Publix. An earlier recall covered a single lot of 10-ounce GreenWise Organic IQF Blueberries with lot code 60401.
Where were they sold? Publix stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
How many people are sick? Twelve confirmed infections with E. coli O145:H28 as of the FDA's early July update, 11 in Florida and one in Georgia, including four hospitalizations. No deaths have been reported.
Does freezing kill E. coli? No. Freezing halts bacterial growth but does not sterilize food. Organisms present before freezing remain viable and become active again on thawing.
What is an import alert? A designation that allows FDA to detain a listed firm's shipments at the border without physically examining them. The importer must then document that the underlying problem is fixed before product can enter.
Why did the import alert come after people got sick? Import alerts are evidence-driven. FDA physically examines only a fraction of imported food, so the trigger is often an outbreak investigation or an inspection finding rather than routine screening.
What symptoms need urgent attention? Bloody diarrhea, diarrhea lasting more than three days, fever above 102 degrees, or vomiting that prevents keeping liquids down. Decreased urination and unusual fatigue can signal kidney complications and warrant emergency care.
