Hepatitis A in Western Family brand pineapple chunks

Vancouver – The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) is warning consumers that Hepatitis A virus has been detected in a sample of Western Family brand fresh pineapple chunks sold in ready-to-go cups.

Current information indicates the cups were produced on August 11th and distributed to 38 Save-On-Foods, Overwaitea Foods and PriceSmart Foods stores in BC. (A list is at the bottom of this release.)

The fruit cups may have been on sale from August 11th and had a best before date of August 19th.

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

What you can do

Hepatitis A vaccine can prevent hepatitis A infection if given within 14 days after exposure.

• If you consumed this product on August 18th or later, you should receive a dose of hepatitis A vaccine.
• If you develop symptoms of hepatitis A, contact your family doctor and local health unit office immediately.
• Consumers who have frozen the product should discard it.

No illness has been reported to date.

Hepatitis A is an infection caused by a virus that affects the liver. The virus is found in the stool of an infected person. It is spread when a person eats food or drinks water that has come in contact with infected stool.  Infected food handlers can pass the virus on to other people if they do not wash their hands with soap and water after using the bathroom.

Hepatitis A symptoms include yellow skin or eyes, loss of appetite, fever, tiredness, stomach ache, nausea, dark coloured urine, and light or whitish coloured bowel movements. Symptoms can also be so mild that a person may not be aware that they have the disease. Illness can last for several weeks but people generally recover completely.  Illness may be life threatening in the elderly or those with other chronic liver disease. Symptoms may develop 15-50 days after exposure.

For information about free hepatitis A vaccine in your health authority if you consumed the product within the last 14 days

Fraser Health: http://www.fraserhealth.ca/hepAclinics 
Interior Health: https://www.interiorhealth.ca/pages/default.aspx 
Island Health: http://www.islandhealth.ca/about_viha/news/news_releases/NR_HepatitisA_westernfamily_pineapple_1sept2017
Northern Health: https://www.northernhealth.ca/for-health-professionals/immunization-resources-tools#current-issue#influenza-immunizations
Vancouver Coastal Health: http://www.vch.ca/about-us/news/Hep-A

A free hepatitis A vaccine can also be offered at any Overwaitea banner stores including Save-On-Foods, PriceSmart Foods, Overwaitea Foods and Urban Fare.   Please contact the pharmacist at any of these stores for more information.

Stores where the product was sold:

Information about hepatitis A and vaccine:

https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthlinkbc-files/hepatitis-vaccine 
http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/hepatitis-a 
http://www.immunizebc.ca/diseases-vaccinations/hepatitis-a

Media Contact:

Ben Hadaway
BCCDC Communications
604.707.2412 or PHSA media line:
778.867.7472
Ben.Hadaway@phsa.ca