Supermarket recalls blueberries: contaminated with hepatitis A

Blueberries. The essential ingredient in my daily breakfast, because the health benefits of these little berries are endless. But wait: Albert Heijn has just decided to remove AH Bag of blueberries 1 kg (frozen) from stores with immediate effect. The product may be contaminated with… hepatitis A. Huh? How can that be?

Blueberries are packed with powerful natural molecules with antioxidant effects; a handful every day works wonders. But fresh blueberries are often incredibly expensive, so a bag of frozen ones is much more affordable. But check your freezer, because you need to be extra careful with those frozen berries right now. They may be contaminated with hepatitis A.

Hepatitis in fruit

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. There are various causes of hepatitis. I didn’t know this, but apparently food can also be a source of the hepatitis virus. Shellfish such as oysters, mussels or shrimp can carry the hepatitis A virus (HAV). This may be because they were cultivated in contaminated water. Raw vegetables and fruit can also become contaminated with the hepatitis A virus, for example through the use of infected water. Soft fruit such as strawberries, raspberries and berries is especially susceptible.

Frozen fruit can therefore still contain the virus—as evidenced by the fact that Albert Heijn is removing its frozen blueberries from stores.

Refund of purchase price

Albert Heijn urgently requests that customers do not eat the product with an expiration date of 14-4-2026 or packages with earlier dates, and return them to an Albert Heijn store. When you return the product, you will receive a refund of the purchase price. For more information, please contact Albert Heijn Customer Service: www.ah.nl/klantenservice. Customers who purchased the product online can fill in this form .

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Sources: Albert Heijn, Voedingscentrum