To our valued customers,
The Co-op takes food safety seriously, and the health and well-being of our shoppers is our top priority. As such, we consider it our duty to share with our customers that CNFC may have sold strawberries from a supplier that is currently being investigated in relation to a Hepatitis A outbreak. Here is what we know:
· There are currently no known cases of Hepatitis A infection connected to the Co-op. However, transparency is important to us, and we want our shoppers to know how seriously we take this.
· The items in question are 1 lb. packages of organic strawberries, packaged by “Fresh Kampo”, sold from 3/8 – 3/11 and 3/22 – 3/24.
o In the time period in question, the Co-op sold 32 units of these strawberries.
· If you have any of these strawberries still in your possession (for example, in your freezer) please throw them away and the Co-op will offer you a full refund.
· No other strawberries sold by the Co-op have been connected, in any way, to the current Hepatitis A investigation.
· The current Hepatitis A outbreak thought to be caused by issues at producer level, not with retailer practices.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, [LM1] if you have purchased and consumed the affected strawberries and are not vaccinated against Hepatitis A, you should consult with your primary care physician.
Fresh Kampo is a large organic strawberry seller. Their berries are carried in WinCo, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Safeway, and many other grocery chains. While we have sold a relatively small amount of their strawberries, that doesn’t make it any less important to us or our customers. We take transparency and food safety very seriously. [LM2] Please know that we do everything in our power to make sure the food we sell is safe, fresh, and delicious.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out the Co-op.
[LM1]Added a link to the FDA announcement, so folks can go right to the source.
[LM2]I think you can nix this sentence, or revise. While it’s a small number sold, even 1 is a big deal to the people who bought it/ate it.