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Hepatitis A warning issued on frozen berries sold here.

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  • 19-07-2013 2:01pm
    #1
    _Whimsical_
    Registered Users Posts: 7,955 ✭✭✭


    It was on the news today that there is a Hepatitis A warning on frozen berries on sale here that have been imported...that seems to be all of them. 5 people have contracted it in Ireland so far. We are being advised to boil the berries for at least one minute before consuming them.

    I have a freezer full of them...there goes the convenient,affordable summer health kick. Just thought I'd post it seeing as I remember there being lots of frozen berry enthusiasts here.

    http://www.fsai.ie/news_centre/press_releases/Hepatitis_A_outbreak_frozen_berries_190713.html


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    #2
    _Whimsical_
    Registered Users Posts: 7,955 ✭✭✭_Whimsical_


    Am I right in thinking that berries won't retain their nutrition value after boiling?


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    #3
    statto25
    Registered Users Posts: 3,839 ✭✭✭statto25


    I usually throw them into Porridge and then shove them into microwave. I wonder is that enough to continue eating them?


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    #4
    brownej
    Registered Users Posts: 886 ✭✭✭brownej


    According to the IT (and the link in the OP to the FSAI notice) it's not just Ireland

    "An outbreak of Hepatitis A in Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland has also been linked to the consumption of frozen fruit, but the strain of the virus in Scandinavia is different to that identified in Ireland and Italy."

    While obviously its not going to be all frozen fruit that's affected, it is still worrying.


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    #5
    IsaacWunder
    Registered Users Posts: 398 ✭✭IsaacWunder


    Although this outbreak has been announced in other EU countries, the fact that the UK's food safety authority hasn't (yet?) announced a similar warning is presumably a sign that British supermarket chains' berries are safe to eat.


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    #6
    coffee_cake
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 81,309 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    jayz, we eat loads of them :(


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    #7
    _Whimsical_
    Registered Users Posts: 7,955 ✭✭✭_Whimsical_


    IsaacWunder wrote: »
    Although this outbreak has been announced in other EU countries, the fact that the UK's food safety authority hasn't (yet?) announced a similar warning is presumably a sign that British supermarket chains' berries are safe to eat.

    I wouldn't think it's safe to presume that at all. The UK have lots of Aldi and Lidl stores.If they were on the ball with the warnings they'd at least have issued one with respect to non British stores as this is a serious public health issue.It's not a mild condition. Also unlikely that if the same suppliers supply Ireland, Italy and wider Europe that no UK based stores at all would be affected. The source has not been found at this stage so I don't they have info we don't right now.


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    #8
    El_Dangeroso
    Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 5,620 ✭✭✭El_Dangeroso


    bluewolf wrote: »
    jayz, we eat loads of them :(

    Eep! me too, I have been making summer whey shakes with frozen blueberries as a quick brekkie. I have been vaccinated against hep A and C though since travelling in Asia.


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    #9
    doctorwhogirl
    Registered Users Posts: 2,664 ✭✭✭doctorwhogirl


    Crappola.

    Ate a mountain of them today....a daily occurrence!


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    #10
    coffee_cake
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 81,309 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    El_Dangeroso wrote: »
    Eep! me too, I have been making summer whey shakes with frozen blueberries as a quick brekkie. I have been vaccinated against hep A and C though since travelling in Asia.

    Bingo
    That and flaxseed, tasty smoothies :(


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    #11
    _Whimsical_
    Registered Users Posts: 7,955 ✭✭✭_Whimsical_


    Glad I'm not alone then,I have them every day .


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    #12
    doctorwhogirl
    Registered Users Posts: 2,664 ✭✭✭doctorwhogirl


    If I don't post for a few days send for help! :-(


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    #13
    IsaacWunder
    Registered Users Posts: 398 ✭✭IsaacWunder


    _Whimsical_ wrote: »
    I wouldn't think it's safe to presume that at all. The UK have lots of Aldi and Lidl stores.If they were on the ball with the warnings they'd at least have issued one with respect to non British stores as this is a serious public health issue.It's not a mild condition. Also unlikely that if the same suppliers supply Ireland, Italy and wider Europe that no UK based stores at all would be affected. The source has not been found at this stage so I don't they have info we don't right now.

    I'm wondering about own brands in Tesco and Marks and Sparks more than Lidl and Aldi. Other British multiples that operate in Ireland also.


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    #14
    _Whimsical_
    Registered Users Posts: 7,955 ✭✭✭_Whimsical_


    IsaacWunder wrote: »
    I'm wondering about own brands in Tesco and Marks and Sparks more than Lidl and Aldi. Other British multiples that operate in Ireland also.

    I know, but given that the source is not clear I don't think it would be safe to assume at this point that UK supermarket produce are ok.The UK don't seem to have issued any alert at all. Id think that there'll be a statement from Tesco or MS if they can say without doubt their berries are ok.

    Seems that 81 contracted Hepatitis A from frozen berries in the US in June. They think the source was berries imported from Turkey.


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    #15
    MicraBoy
    Registered Users Posts: 916 ✭✭✭MicraBoy


    El_Dangeroso wrote: »
    Eep! me too, I have been making summer whey shakes with frozen blueberries as a quick brekkie. I have been vaccinated against hep A and C though since travelling in Asia.

    Lol oh yeah just remembered I'm vaccinated.


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    #16
    _Whimsical_
    Registered Users Posts: 7,955 ✭✭✭_Whimsical_


    Depressing update on this from the EU Centre for Disease Control. 448 people sick in Italy and it may be up to 2 years before the infected berries are cleared from supermarkets.
    Maybe we all need vaccines to partake of the healthy life!
    Hope they find the source soon and someone says what is safe to eat.
    Because different frozen berry products were sold here it was not possible to withdraw products from shops, Prof Reilly said. “If we had the same products on the market we would have already withdrawn them.” More cases of the illness were expected given the long shelf-life of up to two years of frozen berries, said the European Centre for Disease Control.


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    #17
    Mason Storm
    Registered Users Posts: 75 ✭✭Mason Storm


    This explains why Dunnes have been selling 2 bags of frozen berries for €3 the last few weeks, those rascals.


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    #18
    Duzzie
    Registered Users Posts: 722 ✭✭✭Duzzie


    FFS you cannot eat anything these days, it is scary the number of food related warnings in the past few years. I think most of the berries that I have in the freezer are ones that were bought fresh, which i then froze. The blueberries are going in the bin though. Are there any reports of which shop/chain they were from?


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    #19
    _Whimsical_
    Registered Users Posts: 7,955 ✭✭✭_Whimsical_


    Duzzie wrote: »
    FFS you cannot eat anything these days, it is scary the number of food related warnings in the past few years. I think most of the berries that I have in the freezer are ones that were bought fresh, which i then froze. The blueberries are going in the bin though. Are there any reports of which shop/chain they were from?

    If you bought them fresh they are fine, it's only frozen berries that are affected. No reports on which shops are affected, they have no idea where the source of the outbreak is so it seems no one knows.


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    #20
    boogle
    Registered Users Posts: 777 ✭✭✭boogle


    I find it worrying that they do not know where these foods have come from. That smacks of very irresponsible sourcing and retail practice from these supermarkets.


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    #21
    El_Dangeroso
    Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 5,620 ✭✭✭El_Dangeroso


    boogle wrote: »
    I find it worrying that they do not know where these foods have come from. That smacks of very irresponsible sourcing and retail practice from these supermarkets.

    I'm normally a little vigilant about where my meat comes from. Didn't think I had to be so vigilant when it comes to fruit!


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    #22
    Mariol
    Registered Users Posts: 34 ✭Mariol


    Weird how Tesco/Dunnes haven't said anything, or is that normal?


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    #23
    Table Top Joe
    Registered Users Posts: 699 ✭✭✭Table Top Joe


    Im a big frozen fruit fan, cant believe even this isn't safe now! I have fruit from Boylans I bought in Tesco, an Irish company....but are they actually Irish berries or is this one of those marketing things, you know packed in Ireland or some rubbish does anyone know?, cant find out anything about them online


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    #24
    j@utis
    Registered Users Posts: 3,064 ✭✭✭j@utis


    those berries are more than likely imported. I like frozen fruit too and eat quite a lot of it, esp blueberries. I believe these are better than "fresh" berries that were picked half ripe two weeks ago somewhere 10,000miles away. and I don't care about this warning blah, frozen blueberries with coconut cream for desert tonight, deeeelish!


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    #25
    Mason Storm
    Registered Users Posts: 75 ✭✭Mason Storm


    j@utis wrote: »
    those berries are more than likely imported. I like frozen fruit too and eat quite a lot of it, esp blueberries. I believe these are better than "fresh" berries that were picked half ripe two weeks ago somewhere 10,000miles away. and I don't care about this warning blah, frozen blueberries with coconut cream for desert tonight, deeeelish!

    Don't do it!


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    #26
    IsaacWunder
    Registered Users Posts: 398 ✭✭IsaacWunder


    Mason Storm wrote: »
    Don't do it!

    They're perfectly safe if you boil them.


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    #27
    Mariol
    Registered Users Posts: 34 ✭Mariol


    But would boiling them lower the nutritional value of them? Plus they wouldn't be frozen then :P


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    #28
    tunguska
    Registered Users Posts: 3,545 ✭✭✭tunguska


    j@utis wrote: »
    those berries are more than likely imported. I like frozen fruit too and eat quite a lot of it, esp blueberries. I believe these are better than "fresh" berries that were picked half ripe two weeks ago somewhere 10,000miles away. and I don't care about this warning blah, frozen blueberries with coconut cream for desert tonight, deeeelish!

    Ditto. Have frozen blueberries every day in a smoothie. I'll take my chances, definitley not gonna boil them as that would destroy the nutritional value.


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    #29
    thegreatiam
    Registered Users Posts: 2,869 ✭✭✭thegreatiam


    tunguska wrote: »
    Ditto. Have frozen blueberries every day in a smoothie. I'll take my chances, definitley not gonna boil them as that would destroy the nutritional value.

    vomiting them up for 2 weeks would probably also have an impact on their nutritional value. Just sayin'


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    #30
    tunguska
    Registered Users Posts: 3,545 ✭✭✭tunguska


    thegreatiam wrote: »
    vomiting them up for 2 weeks would probably also have an impact on their nutritional value. Just sayin'

    If it happens it happens, I accept the risks.


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    #31
    thegreatiam
    Registered Users Posts: 2,869 ✭✭✭thegreatiam


    tunguska wrote: »
    If it happens it happens, I accept the risks.

    seems a bit of a major risk for a minor inconvenience.
    frozen fruit is known to have higher vitamins than fresh, but boiling will reduce it by around 30%. but get rid of a potentially debilitating illness.
    So all you are really doing is putting your frozen fruit to the sameish levels as fresh fruit for a while. but removing the risk.

    Boiling it wont eliminate all the vitamins, and some wont even be that affected. Im sure you have a balanced diet, so you probably dont even really need the vitamins.

    You're taking a risk of being sick for 2 weeks to get an extra 30% of vitamin A from a handful of blueberries. what does that equate to? less than 10% of RDA?

    I can think of better risks to be taking, but it's your health, you decide.


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