Blueberry Recall in America 2026
A blueberry recall happens when a grower, processor, or distributor pulls fresh or frozen blueberries from the market — either voluntarily or at the FDA’s request — because testing or an illness investigation has linked the product to potential contamination. The most common culprits are Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, and, less frequently, pathogenic strains of E. coli, all of which can survive on berries through harvesting, processing, and even freezing. The FDA assigns every recall a risk classification: Class I means there’s a reasonable probability the product could cause serious illness or death, Class II covers temporary or medically reversible effects, and Class III applies to violations unlikely to cause any adverse health consequence. Frozen blueberries carry a particular risk profile because Listeria can survive and even multiply in refrigerated and frozen conditions, unlike most bacteria, and because frozen fruit is often stored for months, meaning a contaminated bag purchased weeks or even months earlier can still pose a risk long after the initial recall notice.
In the US, 2026 has already produced several high-profile blueberry recalls that illustrate just how frequently this specific fruit shows up in the FDA’s enforcement reports. From a nearly 56,000-pound Class I Listeria recall in February to a multistate E. coli outbreak investigation tied to imported frozen organic blueberries in July, this year has kept blueberries firmly in the spotlight of American food safety news. Understanding how these recalls unfold — who initiates them, how the FDA classifies them, and what the broader recall landscape looks like — helps consumers make sense of headlines that can otherwise feel confusing or alarming.
Key Blueberry Recall Facts in the US 2026
| Fact | Figure |
|---|---|
| Pounds recalled in the February 2026 Oregon Potato Co. Listeria recall | 55,689 pounds |
| FDA recall classification assigned to that recall | Class I (most serious category) |
| States/regions the February recall reached | Michigan, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, and Canada |
| Days between initial recall and Class I upgrade | 12 days (Feb. 12 to Feb. 24, 2026) |
| GreenWise organic blueberry E. coli recall date | July 3, 2026 |
| Country of origin for the July E. coli-linked blueberries | Chile (Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A.) |
| States reached by the GreenWise frozen blueberry products | 8 states (AL, FL, GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, VA) |
| Annual US listeriosis illnesses (CDC estimate) | About 1,600 people per year |
| Annual US listeriosis deaths (CDC estimate) | Roughly 260 to 172 people per year, depending on source |
Source: FDA enforcement reports and outbreak investigation pages; CDC Listeria monocytogenes statistics; NBC News, Fox Business, and Yahoo News February 2026 coverage of the Oregon Potato Co. recall.
Taken together, these figures show that blueberry recalls in 2026 weren’t isolated incidents but part of a recurring pattern tied to the fruit’s specific vulnerability to bacterial contamination. The 55,689-pound February recall alone dwarfs many single-product food recalls in scale, and the fact that it took 12 days for the FDA to escalate it to Class I after the company’s initial voluntary action illustrates how recall classifications often get revised upward as testing and investigation results come in, rather than being assigned instantly.
What’s especially notable is the international dimension of the July E. coli investigation, which traced contamination back to a Chilean supplier rather than a domestic grower — a reminder that much of the frozen blueberry supply sold in US grocery stores, including private-label “organic” brands, is sourced from overseas. With listeriosis alone causing an estimated 1,600 illnesses annually in the US and ranking among the deadlier foodborne pathogens per case, even a single contaminated lot of blueberries carries genuine public health stakes rather than being a routine paperwork exercise.
February 2026 Oregon Potato Co. Listeria Recall Statistics
| Recall Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Recall number | H-0522-2026 |
| Total pounds recalled | 55,689 pounds (reported as “nearly 60,000” by some outlets) |
| Product form | Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) blueberries |
| Packaging sizes affected | 30-pound cases and 1,400-pound totes |
| Company/brand | Oregon Potato Company, operating as Willamette Valley Fruit Company |
| Recall initiation date | February 12, 2026 (voluntary) |
| FDA Class I classification date | February 24 to 26, 2026 |
| Reported illnesses linked to this recall | Zero reported at time of classification |
| Sales channel | Business-to-business only — not sold directly to consumers in retail stores |
Source: FDA enforcement report H-0522-2026; NBC News, Fox Business, Yahoo News, and People coverage, February 25–26, 2026.
February 2026 Blueberry Recall: Packaging Breakdown
30-lb cases (lot codes 2055 B2, 2065 B1, 2065 B3) ████████████████ Expire Jul 23-24, 2027
1,400-lb totes (lot codes 3305 A1, 3305 B1) ████████████████████ Expire Nov 25, 2027
The Oregon Potato Company recall stands out as one of the largest single-lot blueberry recalls of the year, and the fact that the product was never sold directly to consumers in retail stores is an important nuance often lost in headline coverage. Because these blueberries moved through the business-to-business supply chain — likely destined for use as an ingredient in other manufactured food products — most everyday shoppers had no direct way to check their own freezers against the recalled lot codes, unlike a typical grocery-shelf recall.
The 12-day gap between the company’s voluntary recall announcement on February 12 and the FDA’s Class I classification on February 24 reflects the standard investigative process: regulators typically need time to assess testing data, trace distribution, and evaluate the actual public health risk before assigning the agency’s most serious classification. Despite the recall’s substantial scale, no illnesses were reported in connection with this specific event, which is common for recalls triggered by routine testing that catches contamination before it reaches consumers, rather than by an active illness outbreak already in progress.
July 2026 GreenWise Organic Blueberry E. coli Outbreak Statistics
| Outbreak Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Pathogen | E. coli O145:H28 |
| Brand affected | GreenWise (Publix private-label organic line) |
| Supplier | Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A., San Carlos, Chile |
| Recall date | July 3, 2026 |
| Package size recalled | 10-ounce packages |
| Lot code | 60401 (printed as “6 040 01” on package) |
| Best-by date affected | February 9, 2028 |
| States where consumers were advised to check products | 8 states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia |
| FDA regulatory action against the supplier | Added to Import Alert 99-35 |
Source: FDA Outbreak Investigation of E. coli O145:H28: Frozen Blueberries (July 2026); Newsweek coverage of 2026’s biggest FDA recalls.
GreenWise Blueberry Recall: Product Scope
Organic Frozen Whole Blueberries ████████████████ Recalled
Organic Whole Mixed Berries ████████████████ Recalled
Distribution footprint ████████ 8 Southeastern US state
The GreenWise recall illustrates how a contamination event can ripple outward from a single foreign supplier into multiple related products sold under the same retail brand. Because Publix used the same imported blueberries in both its GreenWise Organic Frozen Whole Blueberries and its GreenWise Organic Whole Mixed Berries line, the recall had to cover both products even though only one underlying supplier and lot code was implicated, a pattern typical of how contamination in a shared raw ingredient cascades across a retailer’s private-label portfolio.
The FDA’s decision to add the Chilean supplier to Import Alert 99-35 carries consequences well beyond this single recall: it means future shipments of frozen blueberries from that specific firm can be detained without physical examination at the US border until the company demonstrates it has resolved the underlying contamination issue. This kind of import alert functions as an ongoing preventive control, effectively blocking the supplier’s product from entering the country automatically rather than requiring US inspectors to catch each individual shipment through spot-testing.
Historical Blueberry Recall Statistics in the US
| Historical Recall Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| June 2025 Alma Pak International Listeria recall | 400 boxes (30 pounds each) |
| Company involved (2025 recall) | Alma Pak International LLC, Alma, Georgia |
| Trigger for the 2025 recall | Positive Listeria monocytogenes result during routine testing |
| Distribution of the 2025 recalled product | One customer in North Carolina |
| Recall number (2025 event) | H-0204-2025 |
| Donut/baked goods Listeria recall around the same period | Approximately 2 million units recalled |
| Total US food and beverage recalls tracked by FDA in 2024 | 241 recalls, up 8% from 2023 |
| Combined FDA + USDA recall announcements in 2024 | 296 total, down 5% from 2023 |
Source: The Hill via Yahoo News, March 2026; FDA enforcement report H-0204-2025; PIRG 2025 food recall study.
Comparing the 2025 Alma Pak recall to the 2026 Oregon Potato Company recall highlights just how much scale can vary between individual blueberry recall events, even when both share the same Class I Listeria classification and the same underlying trigger of routine testing catching contamination. The 2025 event was narrowly contained to a single customer in North Carolina, while the 2026 recall reached four states plus Canada and involved more than 55,000 pounds of product — a difference that comes down almost entirely to how widely each specific lot had already been distributed before contamination was detected.
The broader trend data adds useful context: FDA-tracked food and beverage recalls climbed to 241 in 2024, an 8% increase over 2023, even as combined FDA and USDA recall announcements dipped slightly overall. Analysts studying this pattern have suggested more recalls don’t necessarily mean food is getting less safe — it can also reflect more aggressive testing and inspection activity catching problems that might have gone undetected in earlier years, a nuance worth keeping in mind whenever recall headlines feel like they’re accelerating.
FDA Recall Classification and Broader Food Recall Statistics 2026
| Recall Classification Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Distinct FDA food recall events in the last 180 days (as of July 29, 2026) | 249 events (740 product entries) |
| Share of those events classified Class I | 84 events, roughly 34% |
| Definition: Class I recall | Reasonable probability of serious adverse health consequences or death |
| Definition: Class II recall | May cause temporary or medically reversible adverse effects |
| Definition: Class III recall | Not likely to cause adverse health consequences |
| 2024 hospitalizations from recalled food (PIRG study) | 487 people, more than double 2023’s 230 |
| 2024 deaths from recalled food contamination | 19 people, more than double 2023’s 8 |
| Share of 2024 recalls tied to Listeria, Salmonella, or E. coli combined | Approximately 39% |
| 2024 Listeria-specific recall count | 65 recalls, including the Boar’s Head outbreak |
Source: RecallBench FDA food enforcement database summary, July 2026; Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) 2025 food recall study, based on 2024 data.
FDA Food Recall Events by Classification (Trailing 180 Days, as of July 2026)
Class I (serious/death risk) █████████████ 84 events (34%)
Class II/III (lower risk) █████████████████████ 165 events (66%)The finding that 34% of all recent FDA food recall events carry the most serious Class I designation underscores that a meaningful share of the recalls Americans see in the news genuinely involve potential for serious illness or death, rather than being minor labeling technicalities. Blueberries, along with other fresh and frozen produce, have become a recurring feature within that Class I category specifically because berries are consumed raw or minimally processed, giving pathogens like Listeria no cooking step to eliminate them before they reach a consumer’s mouth.
The year-over-year jump in hospitalizations and deaths from recalled food — more than doubling from 2023 to 2024 according to PIRG’s analysis — adds real weight to why regulators have leaned into more aggressive Class I classifications for berry-related contamination events specifically. With Listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli together accounting for roughly 39% of all 2024 recalls, and Listeria alone responsible for 65 separate recall events that year, the pattern seen in 2026’s blueberry recalls fits squarely within a broader, well-documented trend of berry and produce contamination remaining one of the food system’s most persistent safety challenges. For readers wanting a wider view of how foodborne illness numbers break down nationally, our coverage of foodborne illness statistics in the US provides useful context on the total case burden across all pathogen types, not just those tied to berries specifically.
Listeria in Frozen Berries: Symptoms, Risk Groups, and Safety Statistics
| Health Impact Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| CDC estimated annual US listeriosis cases | ~1,600 people |
| CDC estimated annual US listeriosis deaths | Approximately 260 people |
| Rank of listeriosis among US foodborne illness deaths | Third leading cause of death from foodborne illness |
| Mild symptom onset | Fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea |
| Severe symptom onset (invasive listeriosis) | Headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, convulsions |
| Highest-risk populations | Pregnant women, newborns, adults 65+, immunocompromised individuals |
| Listeria’s ability to grow in cold storage | Can survive and multiply in refrigerated and frozen conditions |
| Typical time frozen fruit stays in a home freezer | Often several months, extending exposure window after purchase |
Source: CDC Listeria (Listeriosis) fact pages; Mayo Clinic listeria symptoms overview; FDA and USDA food safety guidance on Listeria monocytogenes.
Listeria Risk Profile: Why Frozen Berries Are Especially Vulnerable
Survives refrigeration ████████████████████████████████████████ Yes
Survives freezing ████████████████████████████████████████ Yes
Eliminated by typical cooking ██████████████████████████████████████ Yes (if cooked)
Eliminated by freezing alone ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ No
What makes Listeria monocytogenes uniquely dangerous in frozen fruit, compared to many other foodborne pathogens, is its unusual ability to survive and even continue growing in refrigerated and frozen conditions — a trait most bacteria simply don’t share. Because consumers commonly eat frozen blueberries directly in smoothies or as toppings without cooking them, the bacteria never encounter the heat that would normally neutralize a contamination risk in other food categories, which is precisely why the FDA treats potential Listeria contamination in ready-to-eat frozen fruit with such urgency.
The disproportionate danger to pregnant women, newborns, adults over 65, and people with weakened immune systems explains why FDA recall notices consistently single out these groups for extra caution, even when the broader recalled lot shows no confirmed illnesses. With listeriosis ranking as the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the US despite relatively low case counts compared to Salmonella or E. coli, the severity-per-case for this particular pathogen is what keeps it at the center of blueberry and other frozen produce recalls year after year. Readers interested in how Listeria contamination has affected other product categories may find our overview of Listeria outbreak statistics for deli meats in the US a useful point of comparison, since many of the same regulatory triggers and risk-group warnings apply across both product types.
Consumer Safety Recommendations and Broader 2026 Produce Recall Context
| Consumer Safety Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Recommended action for recalled frozen berries already purchased | Discard or return for refund, do not consume |
| Recommended surface cleaning after handling recalled product | Wash and sanitize any contacted surfaces |
| Where to verify current recall status | FDA.gov recall and enforcement report database |
| Typical FDA recall notification lag after retail purchase | Can be weeks to months for frozen products already in home freezers |
| Other major 2026 produce-linked recalls (context) | Salmonella jalapeños, romaine lettuce Cyclospora outbreak, shell egg Salmonella recall |
| Cyclospora lettuce outbreak illnesses reported (2026) | 9,481 illnesses, 398 hospitalizations, 2 deaths |
| Salmonella jalapeño outbreak illnesses reported (Aug. 2026) | 345 illnesses across 27 states |
| Salmonella shell egg outbreak illnesses (Aug. 2026) | 98 illnesses across 17 states |
Source: FDA consumer safety guidance; Newsweek “Biggest FDA Recalls of 2026” report; kysdc.com and 92q.com running list of 2026 US food recalls.
2026 Notable Produce/Food Outbreaks by Reported Illness Count
Cyclospora Romaine Lettuce █████████████████████ 9,481 illnesses
Salmonella Jalapeños ██ 345 illnesses
Salmonella Shell Eggs █ 98 illnesses
Placing blueberry recalls alongside 2026’s other major produce-linked outbreaks helps illustrate where the fruit’s recall activity fits within the year’s overall food safety picture. The Cyclospora-contaminated romaine lettuce outbreak, with 9,481 reported illnesses, dwarfs any single blueberry recall event in terms of documented human impact, reminding consumers that while blueberry recalls generate significant news coverage, other produce categories have driven substantially larger illness counts in the same calendar year.
For practical purposes, the FDA’s core guidance remains consistent across every recalled product: consumers should check lot codes and best-by dates against official recall notices, discard or return any matching product rather than attempting to salvage it by cooking or further freezing, and sanitize any surfaces the product touched, since Listeria and other pathogens can persist on countertops, cutting boards, and refrigerator shelving after contact. Because frozen fruit often sits in home freezers for months before use, the FDA specifically urges consumers to check older frozen berry purchases against active recall lists even if the recall notice itself is weeks old by the time they see it, given the extended window during which contaminated product may still be sitting unused in a household freezer. Readers tracking the full scope of bacterial contamination events shaping 2026’s food safety landscape may also find our summary of E. coli outbreak statistics in the US helpful, since E. coli-driven recalls — including the July GreenWise blueberry event — have followed a broadly similar investigation and classification pattern to the Listeria-driven recalls covered throughout this report.
Disclaimer: The data research report we present here is based on information found from various sources. We are not liable for any financial loss, errors, or damages of any kind that may result from the use of the information herein. We acknowledge that though we try to report accurately, we cannot verify the absolute facts of everything that has been represented.
