Health officials have said that a hepatitis A outbreak in Indiana, Nebraska and Wisconsin has been "potentially linked" to blackberries from Fresh Thyme.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), along with state and local officials, they are currently conducting investigations after people who consumed  fresh, non-organic blackberries from the Fresh Thyme chain of grocery stores got infected with Hepatitis A.
The outbreak has infected a total of 11 people, six of them in Nebraska and also six people have been hospitalized. The FDA said the blackberries originated from a distribution center that ships to Fresh Thyme stores in 11 states, namely Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
The FDA is warning people not to eat these fresh blackberries purchased from Fresh Thyme stores between September 9 and 30 and are urging those who bought such berries that have been frozen for later use to throw them away.
According to Fresh Thyme, it is cooperating with investigators to determine the source of contamination and that there was "no reason to believe" that the blackberries were contaminated through handling at its stores.
The company released a statement saying: "Fresh Thyme takes the health and safety of our customers and our team members very seriously. Fresh Thyme Farmers Market has a stringent process for ensuring compliance to all local, state and federal health and hygiene regulations."
Hepatitis A, a highly contagious infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus, can be prevented through vaccines but has resurfaced among adults in the US in recent years. People infected with hepatitis A may experience various symptoms, including fever, fatigue, low appetite, nausea and vomiting.
The CDC said that while symptoms may appear four weeks after exposure, they can manifest as early as two weeks or as late as seven weeks.
