Health concerns grow in Hawaii following recall of frozen strawberries sold at Costco

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Certain lots of frozen organic strawberries sold at Costco in Hawaii are being recalled because of an outbreak of hepatitis A illnesses.

The 4-pound bags of Kirkland Signature strawberries were sold at Costco stores in Hawaii, LA and San Diego.

Here are the lots subject to the recall:

• 140962-08
• 142222-23
• 142792-54
• 142862-57
• 142912-59
• 142162-20
• 142202-21
• 142782-53
• 142852-56
• 142902-58
• 142212-22
• 142232-24
• 142842-55

The lot number can be found on the back of the bag.

According to the recall, hepatitis A hasn’t been found in the product.

Recall issued for select frozen fruits over hepatitis A concerns

However, people are being advised to stop consuming the product out of an abundance of caution. If you have the strawberries in your home, throw them away or return them to the store.

Hepatitis A is a liver disease that can cause fatigue, abdominal pain, jaundice and other symptoms.

For more details on the recall, click here.

Costco reached out to its costumers on Friday saying not to eat the strawberries and return them for a refund but some people say they had already eaten most or the entire bag before learning of the recall. One person telling Hawaii News Now, he’s now starting to feel sick.

“I was like, what are the odds that I read this notice and I get hit and almost have a 102 degree fever,” said Ian Chow-Ise, who said who almost finished an entire 4-pound before seeing the alert.

Chow-ise says he first found out about the recall on Hawaii News Now’s Instagram page and he wasn’t alone. More than a hundred people commented sharing their concerns. Mona from Kaua’i wrote:

“Should I have my kids tested for hep? Been making smoothies for weeks everyday?

Dr. John Janikowski says most people don’t feel symptoms until at least least 2 weeks of exposure.

“Not everybody who ate a strawberry from Costco needs to get tested,” said Janikowski. But I think if someone is having symptoms, they should get tested whether or not they have been vaccinated.”

Chow-Ise says he just tested negative for COVID-19 and has been vaccinated for Hepatitis A and will get tested for it if symptoms continue. For now he continues to isolate in his room.

The CDC says If you have already eaten these recalled frozen organic strawberries within the last 14 days and are not vaccinated against hepatitis A, you should contact your local health department.

Copyright 2023 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.