The Major Costco Fruit Recall That Landed Over 70 Consumers In The Hospital

Costco is generally considered a reputable retailer with high standards for its products, but even a trusted store is not immune to recalls. In 2013, the wholesaler experienced one of the biggest Costco recalls of all time, when a blend of frozen fruit resulted in 165 people falling ill with Hepatitis A, with 71 needing to be hospitalized. Thankfully, all were able to recover, and no deaths were reported.

The compromised product was manufactured by a company called Townsend Farms, and the culprits behind the Hepatitis A outbreak were the pomegranate seeds in the frozen fruit mix. The recall hit Costco hard because, according to the CDC, "All ill people who reported eating this product purchased it from Costco markets; however, the product was also sold at Harris Teeter stores. No ill people were identified that bought the product at Harris Teeter."

Recalls of fruit due to Hepatitis A can be very worrying. It's an infectious disease that can show up even 50 days after the infection, at which point you likely don't even remember what you were eating nearly two months prior. Symptoms include fatigue, yellow pigmentation of the skin and eyes, dark urine, abdominal pain, and others. Although most people do recover, those with weakened immune systems could develop liver failure and die. The Hepatitis-related fruit recall in 2013 was unfortunately not the last one, neither for Townsend Farms nor for Costco.

The next Hepatitis A scare came in June 2019. It was once again linked to Townsend Farms, which manufactured the potentially compromised Kirkland Signature Three Berry Blend sold at Costco stores in California (San Diego and Los Angeles), Hawaii, Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada. This time around, the problem was the blackberries in the blend. Because Townsend Farms also manufactures frozen fruit for other retailers, one of Kroger's brands (Private Selection) was also affected. No illnesses were reported as a result of this recall.

In 2023, Costco recalled its frozen strawberries over Hepatitis A concerns — again. This was a massive recall, involving products sold under multiple brands at several different retailers across the United States. Alongside Costco, some of the other affected grocery chains were Walmart, Aldi, and Trader Joe's. Ten people fell ill with Hepatitis A, four of them were hospitalized. No deaths were reported. Townsend Farms was not associated with this particular recall, but the brand did experience its own nationwide recall in the very same year, caused by mangoes potentially contaminated with Listeria.