Nature's touch is recalling its Organic Berry Cherry Blend from the market due to possible Hepatitis A contamination, Canadian health officials announced.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued a food recall warning saying that the affected product was sold in 3.3 pounds packages with best before dates up to March 16, 2018.
The products affected were sold at Costco warehouse locations in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Quebec.
The bags were marked with a UPC code of 8 73668 00179. For consumers who have bought the product, they should throw it away or return it to the store it was purchased from.
Food products contaminated with Hepatitis A may look normal without any unusual smell. When people consume contaminated food, it may lead to a self-limited disease that goes away on its own in a week or two but it may last up to 6 months.
Hepatitis A is a viral liver disease that can lead to mild to severe illness. It could be transmitted through the ingestion of contaminated food or water. It could also be acquired through direct contact with an infectious person, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported.
Unlike other types of Hepatitis that causes chronic liver disease, Hepatitis A is rarely fatal but can cause debilitating symptoms and in some cases, could lead to a fulminant hepatitis or otherwise known as acute liver failure.
It will take about 14 to 28 days before the symptoms of the infection would surface. The symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, diarrhea, nausea, abdominal cramps, muscle aches, dark-colored urine and jaundice or the yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes.
"This recall was triggered by findings of the CFIA during the investigation into a foodborne illness outbreak. The CFIA is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products. If other high-risk products are recalled, the CFIA will notify the public through updated Food Recall Warnings," the agency said.
The CFIA will verify if the company will remove the recalled product from stores across Canada. So far, no illnesses were reported caused by the potentially contaminated product.
