Frozen Berries safe yet?

snoopy0151

Are mixed frozen berries safe to eat yet?

elfy4eva

I still think the boil recommendation is in effect for imported frozen berries, once boiled for a minute they're perfectly safe to eat though.

Flippyfloppy

Would boiling strip them of nutrients?

elfy4eva

I imagine some would leech into the water but they'd retain the majority surely.

Can't say for sure tho I'm no nutritionist.

Day Lewin

Raspberries are in season, they can be picked fresh all over Ireland from this week on. No need to import them, and you could freeze your own!

elfy4eva

Emailed FSAI this morning with your query here's their response.

Zillah

Boiling would ruin the point for blueberry daiquiris so I'm afraid I'll just have to take the risk.

EDIT: So bizarre that they still don't know the source.

elfy4eva

I know its precautionary but I wouldn't be risking Hepatitis by not boiling. Better off spending the extra and sourcing fresh or Irish frozen berries.

Zombienosh

I feel this has been going on for ages.......enough to put me off ever using frozen berries..........or...is that the conspiracy....DUN DUND UNNNNNNNN

maximum12

My local Dunnes stores has a large stock of own-brand frozen berries with no indication on the packaging that they should be boiled. They're "packed in Kildare" but I'm assuming they're imported as they don't appear as an Irish product on the receipt.

Should the FSAI not ask for these to be withdrawn from sale ? I imagine most people buying them have no idea they should be boiled.

elfy4eva

From what I know the contamination occurs in the packaging envoirnment, I was on a food safety refresher last year and the tutor was adamant it was down to unhygienic practices in certain packaging plants in eastern Europe.

However if you ain't sure I would still be boiling then for a minute.

Zillah

maximum12 wrote: »

Should the FSAI not ask for these to be withdrawn from sale ? I imagine most people buying them have no idea they should be boiled.

Based on the numbers of cases I am guessing that the chances of catching anything are incredibly low. They never tracked down a source, the boiling is just a precaution.

I'm going to keep using frozen berries for my cocktails and I'll report back if I get a terrible disease.

maximum12

I had been using them added to porridge but I just find they taste nowhere near as good as fresh berries so have gone back to fresh berries despite the high cost.

rubadub

Zombienosh wrote: »

I feel this has been going on for ages.....

they could be in frozen storage for years so I would not expect the warning to be dropped any time soon, if ever. Far safer for authorities to tell you they are probably not safe.

elfy4eva

Bon appetit

But seriously you arent wrong. its a middle ground thing the actual risk is so low of contracting anything if you have a healthy immune system, if I recall correctly many of the people who contracted illness that were associated with these products were vulnerable. Ie. Young/Elderly.

But it is also important for the fsai to chime in for the sake of these people especially

deadanonymau5

Frozen Raspberries/Strawberries/Fruits of the Forest were 1/2 price last weekend... is this why OP is asking?




I bought a few packs of each

I've been putting this stuff frozen in my shakes all week, strawberries and tropical mix WTF!!! from tesco

NinetyForNone

Hepatitis A was the Virus

from Wikipedia

The most widespread hepatitis A outbreak in the 2003 United States hepatitis outbreak afflicted at least 640 people (killing four) in northeastern Ohio and southwestern Pennsylvania in late 2003. The outbreak was blamed on tainted green onions at a restaurant in Monaca, Pennsylvania.[44][45] In 1988, more than 300,000 people in Shanghai, China, were infected with HAV after eating clams (Anadara subcrenata) from a contaminated river.[27] In June 2013, frozen berries sold by US retailer Costco and purchased by around 240,000 people were the subject of a recall, after at least 158 people were infected with HAV, 69 of whom were hospitalized.[46][47] In April 2016, frozen berries sold by Costco were once again the subject of a recall, after at least 13 people in Canada were infected with HAV, three of whom were hospitalized.[48] In Australia in February 2015, a recall of frozen berries was issued after at least 19 people contracted the illness following their consumption of the product.[49]

SouthernBelle

Christ I've obviously been under a rock coz this is the first I've heard about a problem with frozen berries! Just bought pack In Aldi earlier.

Zillah

It's not bad as Hepatitis goes...

j@utis

I put cup of frozen berries into microwave for 60-90seconds, would that equivalent to boiling for 1minute?

maximum12

j@utis wrote: »

I put cup of frozen berries into microwave for 60-90seconds, would that equivalent to boiling for 1minute?

No. The boiling is killing bacteria on the surface basically contamination from human faeces.

Microwaves would not work in the same way.

j@utis

oh crap. when I take them out they're bubbling hot, I thought it would be enough.
btw, I was infected with Hep A when I was a child. there was an outbreak in our school and one third of the pupils ended up in hospital, myself included.

Zillah

I have not been struck down with the plague despite having quite a number of daiquiris with unboiled berries.

mjp

Where is best place to buy frozen fruit for smoothies? Buying fresh is costing me a fortune. Know that some of the German stores may be cheaper but interested in hearing what stores people find to have best quality.

Zillah

Dunnes have been pretty good. The last batch of frozen Blueberries I got from Tesco were pretty mank - texture was all wrong.

rubadub

Zillah wrote: »

Dunnes have been pretty good. The last batch of frozen Blueberries I got from Tesco were pretty mank - texture was all wrong.

Were they mushy? if so they were probably defrosted and frozen again, or partially defrosted. Fruit has got to be flash frozen.

I watch out for excessive frost on packets/boxes in tesco. Mine is terrible for packing the frozen section. It used to be 24hours and I was shocked seeing the stuff going on at night, huge trolleys of stuff that was going to take hours to pack into the freezers.

Could be the brand too but my money is on bad practise in the supermarket.

dastardly00

maximum12 wrote: »

My local Dunnes stores has a large stock of own-brand frozen berries with no indication on the packaging that they should be boiled. They're "packed in Kildare" but I'm assuming they're imported as they don't appear as an Irish product on the receipt.

This is a post from June 2015 in which a Boardsie contacted Dunnes about their frozen berries.

Cavey wrote: »

Their frozen blueberries come from North America and the frozen raspberries are from Poland.

CillianScott

maximum12 wrote: »

No. The boiling is killing bacteria on the surface basically contamination from human faeces.

Microwaves would not work in the same way.

Bacteria??

There is no scare to do with bacteria.

There is no faecal matter involved at all.

What are you on?

rubadub

CillianScott wrote: »

Bacteria??

There is no scare to do with bacteria.

There is no faecal matter involved at all.

What are you on?

Dunno if you are just being ridiculously pedantic about him saying bacteria rather than virus.

Even if that is your gripe I am not sure how you can then go on with such certainty to say "no faecal matter involved at all."

https://www.fsai.ie/faqs/berries_Hepatitis_A.html

How is hepatitis A virus spread?
Hepatitis A is a human virus that is primarily spread from person-to-person via the faecal-oral route. The virus is shed in the faeces of infected people. It may also be spread through food that has been contaminated by infected food handlers or by contaminated water.

Mellor

rubadub wrote: »

Dunno if you are just being ridiculously pedantic about him saying bacteria rather than virus.

I'm guessing he was being pedantic about the bacteria/virus distinction. Why else did up a post from last year.
The faeces part is prob just ignorance of how Hep A is spread