Frozen organic berries sold at Walmart and Trader Joe’s may carry E. coli O145

Three frozen organic berry products, two under Walmart’s Great Value label and one from Trader Joe’s, were added to an E. coli O145 recall on October 2, 2026. The FDA notice from Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A., a Chilean processor based in San Carlos, names the strain as O145:H28 and says the added lots trace back to a recall that began in July with a single Publix blueberry product. Best-by dates on the newly named packages run from January 2028 to June 2028, so product bought months ago may still sit in home freezers.

Two retail names appear on the list, Great Value at Walmart and Trader Joe’s, covering three bagged products of 10 and 12 ounces. The FDA’s concern is a Shiga toxin-producing strain tied to illnesses earlier this year.

The three products and their lot codes

The FDA’s October 2 notice lists Great Value Organic Triple Berry Blend in 10-ounce bags (UPC 7874211226, lot codes 6 031 01 and 6 041 01), Great Value Organic Blueberries in 10-ounce bags (UPC 7874211213, lots 6 019 01, 6 040 01 and 6 163 01) and Trader Joe’s Organic Mixed Berry Blend in 12-ounce bags (UPC 00977654, lot 6 051 01). The Great Value best-by dates are January 19, January 31, February 9, February 10 and June 12, 2028, and the Trader Joe’s date is February 20, 2028. Distribution differs by brand. The Great Value items shipped to 30 states plus Puerto Rico through Walmart, and the Trader Joe’s product to 26 states plus the District of Columbia. The notice tells consumers holding those lots not to eat them.

The state lists are long. The Great Value products reached Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and West Virginia. The Trader Joe’s list is partly different, adding Colorado, Delaware and Maryland and dropping several Great Value states, which is why a shopper in Connecticut or New Jersey could have the Walmart packages but not the Trader Joe’s one.

The July recall that led to these lots

The chain starts with the company’s July 3 recall of GreenWise Organic IQF Blueberries, sold at Publix in eight southeastern states, which the company launched after receiving reports of digestive illness. That notice cited 12 confirmed E. coli O145:H28 infections with onsets between May 11 and June 5. A September 2 expansion, reported by Food Network, added one lot of Great Value Organic Triple Berry Blend sold at Walmart in 16 states. The October 2 notice says a traceback investigation tied to the July blueberries produced the additional lots.

Great Value’s listed footprint widened as the notices accumulated. The September 2 expansion, as Food Network reported it, covered one triple berry lot at Walmart stores in 16 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin. The October 2 notice lists 30 states plus Puerto Rico for the Great Value products, along with the first named Trader Joe’s item.

The FDA outbreak investigation tally

The FDA’s outbreak investigation page, last updated September 21, counts 17 cases and six hospitalizations in Florida and Georgia, with no deaths and illness onsets between May 11 and August 2. It records that the CDC declared the outbreak over. Eleven of 13 interviewed patients, 85 percent, reported eating frozen blueberries.

The laboratory evidence is split. The FDA’s own samples from a remote inspection all tested negative, while Publix’s independent testing found one positive sample matching the outbreak strain. The page ties the cases to GreenWise frozen organic blueberries and mixed berries from the Chilean processor, plus one lot of Great Value triple berry blend. The October 2 notice itself does not specify any illnesses among consumers of the three newly added products, so the expansion reflects traceback rather than new patients.

E. coli O145 as a Shiga toxin-producing strain

The FDA describes the illness as severe stomach cramps, diarrhea that may be bloody, and vomiting, and warns of hemolytic uremic syndrome, particularly in young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems. The CDC’s E. coli overview lists children under 5, adults 65 and older and immunocompromised people among the groups at higher risk of kidney failure from Shiga toxin-producing strains.

The July notice is the one that counted illnesses most specifically: 12 confirmed infections within a window of about four weeks, in a product shipped only to Publix stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The outbreak page later raised the total to 17.

Notices run from July 3 to September 2 to October 2, each widening the net after the one before: one Publix blueberry lot, then one Walmart triple berry lot, then lots of three products at two chains. The FDA’s recalls index lists the latest entry with Great Value and Trader Joe’s as the brands.

This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.

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