Frozen berries sold nationwid­e in Australia in independent super­markets have been recalled amid a hepatitis scare. About 45,000 packets of the berries are affected. The berries were sourced from Canada and China and packed in Australia.

Two years after more than 25 cases of the virus were linked to batches of frozen berries from Chinese suppliers, the maker of Creative Gourmet products has announced it is again voluntarily ­recalling a “relatively small” number of its products sold at IGA, Foodworks, Foodland, SPAR and Supabarn.

Entyce Food Ingredients has recalled the Creative Gourmet Mixed Berries 300g with a batch code of PP150118, after tests by Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services. The first test proved ­inconclusive and a second found no trace of the virus. But Victoria’s Deputy Chief Health Officer, Brett Sutton, said the frozen berries were potentially linked with an outbreak of hepatitis A.

“Australian health authorities have identified four cases of hepatitis A infection that were acquired in Australia in 2017 and involve the affected strain of hepatitis A virus,” he said.

Hepatitis A is a short-term, but quite serious infection of the liver. Symptoms include fever, nausea and abdominal pain. But while the infection can be quite severe, it is rarely deadly and most sufferers make a quick recovery.

The infection generally takes between 15 and 50 days to develop after consuming a contaminated product. About 300 to 500 people are diagnosed with hepatitis A in Australia every year.

Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Hepatitis A outbreaks. The Hepatitis A lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Hepatitis A and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $600 million for clients.  Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation.  Our Hepatitis A lawyers have litigated Hepatitis A cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of sources, such as green onions, lettuce and restaurant food.  The law firm has brought Hepatitis A lawsuits against such companies as Subway, McDonald’s, Chipotle, Quiznos and Carl’s Jr.

If you or a family member became ill with a Hepatitis A infection after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark Hepatitis A attorneys for a free case evaluation.