Poor hygiene blamed for hepatitis A in frozen berries; further testing needed

Poor hygiene is being blamed for the alleged contamination of frozen berries with Hepatitis A. A product recall has been issued for Nanna’s frozen mixed berries (1 kg packs) and Creative Gourmet mixed berries (300 and 500 g packs).

Some reports say that five people have contracted the disease from the affected product, while others put the figure at nine. The berries were sourced from China and Chile and were repackaged at Patties Foods’ Victorian facility.

However, Patties Foods says the recall has been instigated only as a “precautionary measure, in the interests of public safety” and that further testing is required.

“While our quality control testing to date has not revealed any concerns with the food safety of either product, further detailed testing is being done and the recall is an important step to ensure public safety and confidence,” said Patties Foods MD and CEO Steven Chaur.

“We have decided that all our frozen Mixed Berries should be recalled until such time as we receive the results of further laboratory tests.”

Experts have warned that although cooking the product will render the virus inert, the berries should be discarded as there is still a risk in handling the product.

“In this situation, the most likely culprit is poor hygiene at the site of production. Hepatitis A is transmitted by the so-called ‘faecal-oral’ route, ie, an infected person sheds the virus in their faeces which then contaminates food or water. So, good old-fashioned hand hygiene is the best way to stop transmission. The virus either directly contaminates the food through a food handler not washing their hands properly or it could come from contaminated water used to wash the berries,” said Professor Enzo Palombo, a food health and safety expert. Professor Palombo is chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology at Swinburne University of Technology.

“Freezing is not going to eliminate the problem. While the virus does not grow in the frozen food, it still remains infectious and is essentially preserved during transport. Heating would kill the virus so if the berries were used in a cooked food (ie, fruit tart), it would likely render the virus harmless (but I would not recommend it!). The problem would be if the berries were to be consumed without cooking (eg, in a smoothie).”