Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A. of San Carlos, Chile, the packer whose frozen organic blueberries sickened 17 people in Florida and Georgia this summer, expanded its recall today for the third time. The October 2 notice adds two lots of Great Value Organic Triple Berry Blend, three lots of Great Value Organic Blueberries, a product that had not been recalled before, and one lot of Trader Joe’s Organic Mixed Berry Blend, a retailer that had not been named before. The Great Value bags went to Walmart stores in 30 states and Puerto Rico. The Trader Joe’s bag went to 26 states and the District of Columbia. CDC declared the outbreak over on September 21, and FDA called its investigation complete the same day. Eleven days later, the recall is still growing.
What was recalled today, and where it was sold.
The company calls the expansion “a precautionary measure following traceback information linked to frozen blueberries” that were the subject of the July 3 recall. Lot codes are printed on the front of the Great Value bags and on the back of the Trader Joe’s bag.
| Product | Size, UPC | Lot codes | Best By | Sold at |
| Great Value Organic Triple Berry Blend (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries) | 10 ozUPC 7874211226 | 6 031 016 041 01 | Jan. 31, 2028Feb. 10, 2028 | Walmart, 30 states and Puerto Rico |
| Great Value Organic Blueberries | 10 ozUPC 7874211213 | 6 019 016 040 016 163 01 | Jan. 19, 2028Feb. 9, 2028June 12, 2028 | Walmart, 30 states and Puerto Rico |
| Trader Joe’s Organic Mixed Berry Blend (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries) | 12 ozUPC 00977654 | 6 051 01 | Feb. 20, 2028 | Trader Joe’s, 26 states and D.C. |
Source: Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A. company announcement, posted by FDA October 2, 2026. Earlier recalls: Great Value Organic Triple Berry Blend lot 6040 01-6 (September 2) and all lots of Publix GreenWise Organic Whole Blueberries and Whole Mixed Berries (July 29).
The Walmart states are Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin, plus Puerto Rico. Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania are new; since September 11, FDA had put Walmart at 26 states and Puerto Rico. The Trader Joe’s states are Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin, plus the District of Columbia.
One lot number, three labels, three notices, 91 days.
The July 3 recall covered one lot of GreenWise Organic IQF Blueberries, 60401, Best By February 9, 2028, sold at Publix. The September 2 expansion covered one lot of Great Value Organic Triple Berry Blend, 6040 01-6, Best By February 9, 2028. Today’s notice adds Great Value Organic Blueberries lot 6 040 01, Best By February 9, 2028. Take out the spacing and the suffix and it is the same lot number and the same date on three products in three notices, July 3 to October 2. On July 3 the company said it had “instructed all customers receiving the affected lot to immediately isolate the product” and to notify anyone downstream. Walmart’s blend carrying that number was recalled publicly on September 2. Walmart’s plain blueberries carrying it were recalled today.
The September 2 notice also said there were “no illnesses associated with this specific product to date.” Today’s notice does not say that about any of the three products.
The lot codes read as packing dates, and the newest is June 12, a month after the first person got sick.
The company has not said what its lot codes mean; this is my reading. If the code is a year digit followed by the day of the year, a common convention, then 6 019 01 is January 19, 2026; 6 031 01 is January 31; 6 040 01 is February 9; 6 041 01 is February 10; 6 051 01 is February 20; and 6 163 01 is June 12. All six Best By dates fall exactly two years after the date the code names, which is hard to explain any other way. On that reading, the Great Value Organic Blueberries in lot 6 163 01 were packed on June 12, 2026: 32 days after the first illness onset of May 11, a week after the last onset the July 3 notice reported, three weeks before the first recall, and 112 days before today’s. FDA said on July 30 that its remote review of the firm raised concern about at least one other lot of blueberries. It has not said whether today’s five lots are that lot or new ones.
The pages that say “over” have not caught up with the recall FDA itself posted.
CDC’s outbreak page, last updated September 21, lists the investigation as closed at 17 sick, 6 hospitalized and no deaths, and shows three recalls: July 3, July 29 and September 2. Its Great Value row still says 26 states and Puerto Rico. FDA’s outbreak advisory, also dated September 21, reads “CDC declares outbreak has ended. FDA’s outbreak investigation is complete,” and lists the same three recalls and the same 26 states. Walmart’s corporate recall page this afternoon lists only the September 3 notice, in 16 states, a count FDA corrected to 26 and Puerto Rico on September 11. A shopper in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York or Pennsylvania who checks CDC, FDA’s advisory or Walmart’s page finds nothing that says her state is involved; only FDA’s recall listing does, and no outbreak page points to it yet.
What to do if you have frozen organic berries in the freezer.
Check the bag, not the outbreak status. The recalled products are GreenWise Organic Whole Blueberries and Whole Mixed Berries from Publix, any lot; Great Value Organic Triple Berry Blend lots 6040 01-6, 6 031 01 and 6 041 01; Great Value Organic Blueberries lots 6 019 01, 6 040 01 and 6 163 01; and Trader Joe’s Organic Mixed Berry Blend lot 6 051 01. Throw them out or return them for a refund, and wash anything they touched with hot, soapy water. Freezing preserves Shiga toxin-producing E. coli; it does not kill it. Symptoms usually begin three to four days after exposure: severe cramps and diarrhea that turns bloody. See a doctor for bloody diarrhea, a fever above 102 or signs of dehydration, and in a child watch for decreased urination, paleness and unusual fatigue, the warning signs of hemolytic uremic syndrome. The company’s contact is Info.foodsafety@comfrut.com or 336-899-5612, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern.
Food Poison Journal carried the Publix all-lots recall, why blueberries had never done E. coli before, the Great Value recall and the September 24 closure, which asked whether the packer sold to anyone besides Publix and Walmart. Today’s notice answers that. Marler Blog covered the first twelve cases and the Walmart expansion; the E. coli Blog carried the consumer version. Food Safety News reported today’s expansion this afternoon.
Seventeen sick, six hospitalized, one February lot recalled in July, in September and again in October, a June lot recalled for the first time today, a third retailer named 91 days in, and three pages a shopper would check that stop in September. The investigation is complete. The recall is not.
Which frozen berries were recalled for E. coli on October 2, 2026?
Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A. expanded its E. coli O145 recall to Great Value Organic Triple Berry Blend, 10 oz, lots 6 031 01 and 6 041 01; Great Value Organic Blueberries, 10 oz, lots 6 019 01, 6 040 01 and 6 163 01; and Trader Joe’s Organic Mixed Berry Blend, 12 oz, lot 6 051 01. Best By dates run from January 19 to June 12, 2028.
Which states received the recalled Great Value and Trader Joe’s frozen berries?
The Great Value products were shipped to Walmart stores in 30 states and Puerto Rico, including Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania for the first time; the Trader Joe’s blend went to Trader Joe’s stores in 26 states and the District of Columbia. The full lists are above.
Is the frozen blueberry E. coli outbreak over if the recall is still expanding?
As CDC defines it, yes: CDC declared it over on September 21, 2026, at 17 sick, 6 hospitalized and no deaths, because new illnesses had dropped back to the expected number, not because the recalled product is gone. The recalled bags carry Best By dates in 2028.
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