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Additional Western Family brand products may be contaminated with Hepatitis A

Sep 2, 2017 | 8:05 PM

EDMONTON –    More food items have been added to a list of products sold in alberta which may be contaminated with hepatitis A.
 
On Saturday, September 2, Alberta Health Services (AHS) and the B.C. Centre for Disease Control have issued a warning regarding the detection of hepatitis A virus in a sample of fresh pineapple chunks sold in ready-to-go cups.
 
The Western Family brand cups were on August 12 and have a best-before date of August 19. The product was distributed to 58 Save-On-Foods, Overwaitea Foods and PriceSmart Foods stores in Alberta and BC. In Alberta, the product was only sold at Save-On-Foods, including the west side location in Lethbridge.
 
AHS issued an updated warning on Wednesday (Sept 6)   that additional Western Family brand or unbranded fruit products, sold in Alberta, may also be contaminated with hepatitis A.

The current list of implicated products sold in Alberta now includes:

— Western Family Fruit Salad (198g)
— Fruit Salad (227g and 425g)
— Western Family Citrus Salad (226g)
— Western Family Pineapple Chunks (served in 198 g ready-to-go cups)
— Pineapple Chunks (fresh) (227g and 425g)

All of the above listed products were distributed to Save-On-Foods stores in Alberta, and had a best before date of August 19. To view additional products sold outside of Alberta, visit https://www.saveonfoods.com/product-alerts/  (scoll to the bottom of page).

Anyone who is uncertain as to whether they have been exposed to this product should call their local Save on Foods to discuss the product details. Consumers who have frozen the product should discard it.

Although the risk of infection is considered low, and no illnesses have been reported to date, individuals who believe they may have consumed the above noted products are encouraged to call Health Link by dialing 811.  Health Link will discuss your recent history with you, and will advise on any next steps you may need to take. 

Hepatitis A is an infection of the liver caused by a virus. While the risk of infection is low and no cases have been reported, it should be noted that illness can occur within 15 to 50 days after exposure to the virus, but usually within 28 to 30 days.

Symptoms include fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, dark urine, stomach pains and jaundice.

More information on hepatitis A can be found on the Alberta Health Services website.

The investigation is ongoing and additional products and stores may be identified.