Class IF-0701-2014

Class I— FDA's most serious classification, issued when there is a reasonable probability that consumption of or exposure to the product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.

Product

The Costco product is sold under brand name Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend - The product is a mix of IQF organic berries, specifically; dark tart cherries, pomegranate arils, strawberries, red raspberries, and blueberries. The product is packaged into plastic bags with a net wt. 48oz (3 lbs) 1.36kg. There are 12 bags in a case. The Costco item # is 595820 and has the UPC 0 78414 40444 8. Harris Teeter Organics Antioxidant Berry Blend - The product is a mix of IQF organic berries, specifically; dark tart cherries, pomegranate arils, strawberries, red raspberries, and blueberries. The product is packaged into plastic bags with a net wt. 10 oz (283 g). There are 12 bags in a case. The Harris Teeter product has the UPC 0 72036 70463 4. For the Costco product there are two different labels: The first Costco product label reads in part "*** USDA ORGANIC***Organic Antioxidant Blend*** DARK TART CHERRIES, POMEGRANATE ARILS, STRAWBERRIES, RED RASPBERRIES, BLUEBERRIES***Townsend Farms *** Individually Quick Frozen KEEP FROZEN *** NET WT. 48oz (3 LBS) 1.36KG ***". The second Costco product label reads in part "***HEART HEALTHY HIGH IN ANTIOXIDANTS***Organic Antioxidant Blend***DARK TART CHERRIES, BLUEBERRIES, POMEGRANATE ARILS, RED RASPBERRIES, STRAWBERRIES***Individually Quick Frozen All Natural No Preservatives*** USDA ORGANIC***Townsend Farms *** Grower Processor Distributor*** KEEP FROZEN *** Net Wt. 48oz (3 lbs) 1.36kg***ITEM #595820***". The Harris Teeter label reads in part "***HARRIS TEETER***Organics Antioxidant Berry Blend***Organic Dark Cherries, Organic Blueberries, Organic Pomegranate, Organic Red Raspberries & Organic Strawberries *** USDA ORGANIC***NET WT 10 OZ (283 G)***KEEP FROZEN *** PROUDLY DISTRIBUTED BY: HARRIS TEETER *** MATHEWS, NC 28105 ***".

Type: Food
Affected lot / code info: Costco Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend: BEST BY from T012415 sequentially through T053115, followed by a letter and BEST BY from T122114 sequentially through T053115, followed by a letter. All letter designations are included in the voluntary recall. Harris Teeter Organics Antioxidant Berry Blend product has lot codes T041613C and T041613E and the BEST BY code 101614. The codes are breakdown as: Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend: T = Townsend, 053115 = a two year best by date from the day it was manufactured, Letter = a two hour window of production; Harris Teeter Organic Antioxidant Berry Blend - T = Townsend, 041613 = the date the product was produced, C or E = a two hour window of production, BEST BY 101614 = 18 month best by date.
Quantity: 504,060 retail packages (3 lbs.) and 6,300 retail packages (10 oz.)

Why it was recalled

Harris Teeter Organics Antioxidant Berry Blend (10 oz.) and Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend (3 lbs.) are recalled because it has the potential to be contaminated with Hepatitis A virus, based on the epidemiological and traceback investigation by the FDA and the CDC, of an illness outbreak.

Recalling firm

Firm: Townsend Farms Inc
Notification channel: Press Release
Type: Voluntary: Firm initiated
Address: 23400 Ne Townsend Way, N/A, Fairview, Oregon 97024-4626

Distribution

Distribution pattern: Product was distributed from Townsend Farms to consignees' distribution centers in Arizona, California, North Carolina, Utah, and Washington.

Timeline

Recall initiated: 2013-06-03
FDA classified: 2013-12-03
Posted by FDA: 2013-12-11
Terminated: 2018-09-11
Status: Terminated

Source: openFDA Food Enforcement endpoint. Recall record F-0701-2014. The FDA issues recall classifications as health-hazard assessments, not legal findings.