Frozen organic blueberries and mixed berries sold under Publix’s private-label GreenWise brand now carry the Food and Drug Administration’s most serious recall rating, Class I, after an E. coli outbreak tied to the product sickened a dozen people. The FDA classified the recall Class I on August 19, 2026, a designation that now covers Publix stores across eight Southeastern states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Class I is the FDA’s highest-severity category. It means the agency has found a reasonable probability that using the product could cause serious health problems or death — not that harm is certain, but that the risk is serious enough to warrant the strongest warning the agency issues.
Key facts
- Recall level: FDA Class I, the agency’s highest-severity rating, announced August 19, 2026
- Products: GreenWise Organic Whole Blueberries and Whole Mixed Berries, 10 oz and 48 oz, best-by dates before February 9, 2028
- Contaminant: E. coli O145:H28
- States affected: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia
- Illnesses: 12 confirmed cases as of July 6, 2026 (11 in Florida, one in Georgia), four hospitalized, no deaths reported
- Supplier: Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A., based in San Carlos, Chile
What’s recalled
All lots of four GreenWise-branded organic frozen products are included, each with a best-by date before February 9, 2028:
- GreenWise Organic Whole Blueberries, 10 oz (UPC 41415-06453)
- GreenWise Organic Whole Blueberries, 48 oz (UPC 41415-12053)
- GreenWise Organic Whole Mixed Berries, 10 oz (UPC 41415-06753)
- GreenWise Organic Whole Mixed Berries, 48 oz (UPC 41415-12153)
If you have these products at home, Publix says not to eat them — throw them away or return them to the store for a full refund.
Health risks
The concern is potential contamination with E. coli O145:H28, a Shiga toxin-producing strain of E. coli that can cause severe stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea that is sometimes bloody. In severe cases it can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can cause kidney failure and be life-threatening, particularly in young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems.
Timeline
The berries were supplied to Publix by Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A., a grower and processor based in San Carlos, Chile.
- May 11 to June 5, 2026: Reported illness onset dates for the 12 cases tied to the outbreak strain.
- End of June 2026: Publix pulls the products from sale internally, ahead of any public notice.
- July 3, 2026: The Chilean supplier recalls a single 10-oz lot.
- July 6, 2026: The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)’s most recent public update ties 12 illnesses to the outbreak strain — 11 in Florida and one in Georgia — with four of the twelve hospitalized and no deaths reported. No newer case count has been published since, even as recall coverage continued into August.
- July 29, 2026: Publix expands the recall to cover all lots of all four GreenWise products listed above, citing the same E. coli concern.
- August 19, 2026: The FDA classifies the recall Class I, its highest-severity rating.
Other blueberry recalls this year
This is a separate event from two other blueberry recalls that have circulated in 2026: a Listeria recall of Willamette Valley Fruit Company frozen blueberries in February, and a lead-contamination recall of Natierra freeze-dried blueberries. Neither is connected to this E. coli outbreak.
Sources and further reading
- FDA
- Publix Recalls All Lots of GreenWise Organic Frozen Blueberries and Whole Mixed Berries
- FDA
- Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A. Initiates Recall of Frozen GreenWise Organic IQF Blueberries
- CDC confirms 12 sick in ongoing E. coli outbreak linked to frozen blueberries
- Publix Frozen GreenWise Blueberries and Frozen GreenWise Mixed Berries