A Chilean fruit supplier has expanded an E. coli recall that until now involved only one brand at one grocery chain, and the new notice now reaches Walmart freezers in 16 states. Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A. of San Carlos, Chile, expanded its recall to cover one lot of Great Value Organic Triple Berry Blend in 10-ounce bags, citing possible contamination with Escherichia coli O157:H28. The company announced the expansion on September 2, 2026, and the Food and Drug Administration posted it the following day.
The affected bag carries UPC 7874211226, lot code 6040 01-6 printed on the front of the package, and a best-if-used-by date of February 9, 2028. The company says no illnesses have been tied to this specific product. It describes the action as precautionary, taken after traceback work on the earlier recall pointed back to the same supply.
That distinction matters for households, and it cuts both ways. Nobody is known to have been sickened by this berry blend. But a bag purchased at Walmart would not have been covered by any of the earlier notices, which named a different brand at a different chain, so a shopper who checked once and moved on may still have the product in a freezer drawer.
A Different Brand, a Different Store, and Eleven New States
The recalled blend went to select Walmart stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin.
Eleven of those states were not in the original distribution footprint. In July, the same supplier recalled a single lot of GreenWise organic blueberries sold at Publix in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, all in the Southeast. Publix later pulled all lots of its GreenWise frozen berry products. The new list pushes into the Midwest, the Gulf Coast and Texas, reaching households that had no reason to follow the earlier story at all.
MedicalDaily previously reported on the original lot-specific recall of GreenWise organic frozen blueberries sold at Publix, and later on the agency's decision to assign that recall its most serious risk classification. Those reports concerned blueberries under one brand. This notice concerns a mixed berry product containing strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries, sold under Walmart's house label.
Frozen Fruit Rarely Gets Hot Enough to Kill This Bacterium
The reason a frozen berry recall carries different weight than a frozen vegetable recall comes down to how each one is used at home.
Freezing does not kill E. coli. It holds bacteria in place. Most frozen vegetables are boiled, steamed, roasted, or microwaved before anyone eats them, and normal cooking temperatures destroy the organism. Frozen fruit usually skips that step entirely. It goes into a blender with yogurt or juice, or onto oatmeal, or straight into a child's hand.
A smoothie never reaches a temperature high enough to make contaminated fruit safe. There is no rinse, no heat, and no holding time that a household can rely on here, which is why the agency's guidance for these products is disposal rather than extra washing.
The agency also advises anyone who has repackaged frozen berries into an unlabeled container to discard them, because a bag emptied into a freezer bin can no longer be checked against a lot code.
Seventeen Illnesses Now Reported, with Onsets Running into August
The outbreak remains geographically narrow but has grown since the first recall. According to the agency's outbreak investigation page, updated September 3, 17 people infected with the outbreak strain have been reported from two states, Florida and Georgia. Six were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Illnesses began on dates ranging from May 11 to early August 2026.
Those figures are higher than the counts published in July, when 12 illnesses and four hospitalizations had been reported. Eleven of the 13 people interviewed said they had eaten frozen blueberries. The investigation is still listed as ongoing, and additional products may be added as traceback continues.
The strain involved is a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. Symptoms usually begin within a few days of exposure and can appear as late as nine days afterward. They include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea that may turn bloody, fever, nausea, and vomiting.
Most otherwise healthy people recover within about a week. The serious concern is hemolytic uremic syndrome, a form of kidney failure that develops in a minority of cases and falls hardest on young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems. Complications can also include high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, and neurologic problems.
Checking a Freezer Bag Is the Only Reliable Step Right Now
The practical instruction is narrow. Anyone holding Great Value Organic Triple Berry Blend in a 10-ounce bag should look for lot code 6040 01-6 on the front of the package. If it matches, the product should not be eaten. It can be thrown away or returned to Walmart for a full refund.
Surfaces, cutting boards, blender jars, and storage containers that touched the product should be cleaned and sanitized, since cross-contamination in a kitchen is a documented route of spread even when the food itself is discarded.
Households do not need to discard unaffected frozen fruit, avoid berries generally, or seek testing without symptoms. Anyone who ate the recalled product and develops severe stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea, or signs of dehydration should contact a health care professional and mention the recall. Reduced urination, unusual paleness or extreme fatigue after a diarrheal illness are reasons for prompt medical evaluation, particularly in a young child.
The supplier has directed recall questions to its media contact. The agency has said this advisory will be updated as new information becomes available, and further products drawn from the same supply could still be added.
Key Questions Answered
Which product is being recalled now? Great Value Organic Triple Berry Blend in 10-ounce bags, UPC 7874211226, lot code 6040 01-6, with a best-if-used-by date of February 9, 2028. The lot code is printed on the front of the package.
Where was it sold? Select Walmart stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin.
Has anyone been sickened by this specific product? No. The company reports no illnesses connected to the berry blend and describes the action as precautionary, following traceback from the earlier blueberry recall.
How many people have been reported sick in the outbreak overall? Seventeen, from Florida and Georgia, with six hospitalizations and no deaths as of the September 3 update. Those figures rose from 12 illnesses and four hospitalizations reported in July.
I already checked my freezer in July. Do I need to check again? Yes, if you shop at Walmart. The July notices covered a different brand sold at Publix. This one covers a Walmart house-brand product and reaches eleven states that were not in the original distribution.
Can I just cook the berries to make them safe? The agency's guidance is to discard or return the product rather than attempt to make it safe at home. Frozen fruit is typically eaten without cooking, and freezing does not kill the bacterium.
Who faces the highest risk of serious illness? Young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems face the greatest risk of hemolytic uremic syndrome, a form of kidney failure that can follow this type of infection.
