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These Popular Blueberries Were Just Recalled Due to Parasite, FDA Says

Important news for readers in four U.S. states ahead of 4th of July weekend grocery shopping.

If you're brainstorming healthy red, white, and blue dishes for the 4th of July—or, if your household is full of blueberry fans (whose isn't?, blueberries are life)—then you need to know this: A major produce brand has just recalled a limited quantity of their blueberries for the presence of an intestinal parasite. We've got your details on this important blueberry recall.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Friday that Dole Diversified North America, Inc. is voluntarily recalling "a limited number of cases of Dole Fresh Blueberries packaged in a variety of clamshell sizes for potential Cyclospora contamination."

Courtesy of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that can cause intestinal illness after an individual consumes food or water that's infected by the parasite. Further, the FDA says common symptoms an individual may experience following exposure are "severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, body aches and fatigue." (They also say that most recover quickly with treatment of antibiotics.)

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So, in Illinois, Maine, New York, and Wisconsin (plus Alberta and British Columbia in Canada), Dole is recalling the blueberries according to these details, courtesy of the FDA, with columns left to right denoting size/UPC, pack-out date, and lot code:

Courtesy of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Via the FDA, Dole advises consumers to "check any product they have in their homes and discard any product matching the production description, UPC codes, and product lot codes listed above."

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Krissy Gasbarre
Krissy is a senior news editor at Eat This, Not That!, managing morning and weekend news related to nutrition, wellness, restaurants and groceries (with a focus on beverages), and more. Read more about Krissy
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