Hepatitis A virus was detected in 3 kinds of comprehensive berries frozen by Costco Kirkland.

(Provided by Kaohsiung City Health Bureau)

[Reporter Xu Lijuan/Kaohsiung Report] The "Kirkland Signature Kirkland Frozen 3 Kinds of Mixed Berry" imported from Costco has been tested by the Kaohsiung City Health Bureau for hepatitis A virus, and will be fined according to the Food Safety Law, depending on the degree of impact The maximum penalty is 200 million yuan.

In addition, the Health Bureau asked Costco to provide a sales list on the evening of the 27th, but did not receive the list until noon on the 28th. For this, the Health Bureau has issued a fine of 300,000 yuan to Costco in accordance with the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act.

Hepatitis A virus was detected in Costco’s comprehensive berries. It was reported that Costco repeatedly delayed handing over the list of consumers on the grounds of customer personal information and employee vacations. In this regard, the Health Bureau stated that Costco was required to Provide the list of sales until the noon of the 28th to receive the roster. Costco has imposed a fine of 300,000 yuan in accordance with Article 43 of the Law on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases in response to Costco’s failure to cooperate in providing the list of sales in a timely manner. At present, the Health Bureau has fully completed health monitoring and care Notifications have been received from the public.

As for the detection of Hepatitis A virus in the comprehensive berry, which violates Article 15, Item 1, Subparagraph 4 of the Food Hygiene Management Law, the Health Bureau stated that it will make a comprehensive evaluation based on the scale of impact, severity, and related circumstances caused by the violation. According to Article 44 of the Food Safety Law, a fine of more than 60,000 yuan and less than 200 million yuan will be imposed.

Because the 5 cases of hepatitis A reported by the United States were speculated to be related to the frozen strawberries sold in the market, the Kaohsiung City Health Bureau went to Costco to test related products on the 11th of this month and asked to preventively remove them from the shelves. The "Kirkland Signature Kirkland Frozen 3 Kinds of Mixed Berry" (ingredients: blueberry + blackberry + raspberry, specification: 1.81 kg, expiration date: 2023/09/19) was detected with hepatitis A virus, known to be sold in Taiwan More than 17,000 kilograms (approximately 9,427 packages), and the remaining 367.43 kilograms (203 packages) in stock will be recycled and destroyed. Costco also provides public returns.

The Health Bureau reminds the public to monitor their health within 60 days after consumption, and seek medical attention immediately if symptoms of fever and general fatigue appear.

(Provided by Kaohsiung City Health Bureau)