Publix GreenWise Blueberry Recall, E. coli Contamination, Class I Risk, and What to Do

If you’ve got a bag of GreenWise organic frozen blueberries or mixed berries in your freezer, don’t eat them. Publix has recalled every lot of these products after they were linked to an E. coli outbreak that has sickened 12 people and put four in the hospital — and the FDA has now classified the recall at its highest severity level.

Publix GreenWise Blueberry Recall — Key Facts

Field	Detail
Products	GreenWise Organic Whole Blueberries (10 oz. and 48 oz.); GreenWise Organic Whole Mixed Berries (10 oz. and 48 oz.)
Recall Announced	July 29, 2026 (expanded from a single-lot recall issued July 3, 2026)
FDA Risk Classification	Class I — the FDA’s highest-risk category, issued August 19, 2026
Contaminant	Escherichia coli O145:H28 (Shiga toxin-producing E. coli)
Illnesses Reported	12 confirmed (11 in Florida, 1 in Georgia); 4 hospitalizations; 0 deaths
Illness Onset Dates	May 11, 2026 – June 5, 2026
States Where Sold	Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia
Supplier	Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A., San Carlos, Chile
Remedy	Discard the product or return it to Publix for a full refund
Related Lawsuit	Cash v. Publix Super Markets, Inc., No. 502026CA007802XXXAMB, Circuit Court of Palm Beach County, Florida
Last Updated	August 29, 2026

What’s in the Recalled Products

Four specific items are covered by this recall:

• GreenWise Organic Whole Blueberries, 10-ounce, UPC 41415-06453
• GreenWise Organic Whole Blueberries, 48-ounce, UPC 41415-12053
• GreenWise Organic Whole Mixed Berries, 10-ounce, UPC 41415-06753
• GreenWise Organic Whole Mixed Berries, 48-ounce, UPC 41415-12153

This recall covers every lot of these products, not just one batch. If you can’t tell whether a frozen product in your freezer matches one of these — say, because you transferred it out of its original bag — the FDA’s guidance is simple: throw it away rather than try to guess.

How This Started, and How It Grew

This recall didn’t happen all at once. On July 1, 2026, the Florida Department of Health flagged a cluster of E. coli illnesses to the CDC. Investigators interviewed sick people, and frozen GreenWise-brand organic blueberries sold at Publix came up as the leading suspect. Seven of nine people interviewed had eaten frozen blueberries, and five of those specifically named GreenWise blueberries from Publix.

Publix pulled the product from stores immediately after hearing from Florida health officials. Two days later, on July 3, the Chilean supplier, Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A., recalled a single lot of 10-ounce blueberries — lot code 60401, best-by date February 9, 2028.

That single-lot recall turned out to be too narrow. The FDA conducted a remote inspection of the Chilean supplier’s facility and found problems that extended beyond the one recalled lot. Based on those findings, Publix expanded the recall on July 29 to cover all lots of both the whole blueberries and the mixed berries products — not just the specific batch originally flagged.

Three weeks later, on August 19, the FDA raised the recall to Class I status, its designation for situations where using the product carries “a reasonable probability” of serious health consequences or death. The FDA has also added the Chilean supplier to an import alert, meaning future shipments of its frozen blueberries can be detained at the border without physical inspection until the company demonstrates it’s fixed the underlying problem.

If food safety failures like this one are on your radar, our coverage of the Driscoll’s strawberries recall looks at a separate produce safety scare that unfolded around the same period.

Why E. coli in Frozen Fruit Is Especially Dangerous

Here’s something worth knowing: freezing doesn’t kill this strain of E. coli. People sometimes assume frozen food is inherently safer than fresh, but that’s not how this particular bacteria works — it can survive freezing and still cause illness once the fruit is eaten.

Symptoms typically start somewhere between a few days and up to nine days after eating contaminated food, and include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (sometimes bloody), fever, nausea, and vomiting. In more serious cases, the infection can progress to hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure that’s especially dangerous for young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems.

A Lawsuit Has Already Been Filed

This recall isn’t just a shelf notice anymore — it’s already produced litigation. On July 13, 2026, a Jupiter, Florida couple, Oscar and Roberta Cash, filed suit against Publix Super Markets in Palm Beach County Circuit Court. According to the complaint, Roberta Cash was hospitalized for 10 days and then spent about 18 more days in a nursing facility for treatment after eating the recalled blueberries; Oscar Cash also became ill but sought less intensive care while looking after his wife.

The lawsuit alleges strict liability, negligence, and breach of warranty, arguing the blueberries were defective because they contained E. coli and that Publix failed to give adequate warning of a danger that reasonably should have been known. Their attorneys have said they expect more plaintiffs to come forward, since for every confirmed lab-tested case, public health data suggests many more people get sick without ever being counted.

That matters for anyone reading this who got sick after eating these blueberries and assumed it was just a stomach bug. A confirmed E. coli diagnosis isn’t required to have gotten sick from this outbreak — it’s just what shows up in the official case count.

What to Do Right Now

1. Check your freezer for any of the four GreenWise products listed above.
2. If you find one, don’t eat it — throw it away or return it to Publix for a full refund, even without a receipt.
3. If you already used the product without its original packaging and can’t confirm whether it’s the recalled item, discard it rather than risk it.
4. Clean and sanitize any surfaces, containers, or utensils the berries touched, to avoid cross-contamination.
5. If you ate the recalled product and are experiencing symptoms like bloody diarrhea, severe cramps, or fever, contact your health care provider right away rather than waiting it out.
6. If you or a family member were hospitalized or seriously sickened after eating this product, that’s a different situation than a routine refund — it’s worth talking to a product liability attorney about your options.

Publix GreenWise Blueberry Recall — Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a receipt to return recalled GreenWise blueberries?

 No. Publix has said the product can be returned to any store for a full refund without the original receipt.

How do I know if my blueberries are part of the recall?

 Check the product name and UPC code against the four listed above. Because this recall now covers all lots — not just one lot code — you don’t need to hunt down a specific batch number to know you’re covered.

Has anyone died from this outbreak? 

No deaths have been reported. Twelve illnesses have been confirmed, with four hospitalizations, as of the most recent FDA update.

Why did the FDA raise this recall to Class I weeks after Publix first recalled the product?

 Class I is reserved for the most serious health risks. The FDA’s decision to escalate it in August reflects the severity of E. coli O145:H28 infections and the outbreak’s confirmed link to hospitalizations, not a new discovery about the product itself.

Can I join a lawsuit if I got sick from these blueberries?

 A Florida couple has already filed suit against Publix, and their attorneys have said they expect additional plaintiffs. If you believe you were sickened by this product, a product liability or food safety attorney can evaluate whether you have a claim, particularly if you sought medical treatment.

Is this recall limited to Florida?

 No. The recalled product was distributed to Publix stores in eight states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The confirmed illnesses so far are concentrated in Florida and Georgia, but the product reached a wider footprint than that.

Sources Used in This Publix GreenWise Blueberry Recall Article

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration — “Publix Recalls All Lots of GreenWise Organic Frozen Blueberries and Whole Mixed Berries Due to Potential E. coli O145 Contamination,” July 29, 2026: https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/publix-recalls-all-lots-greenwise-organic-frozen-blueberries-and-whole-mixed-berries-due-potential-e
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration — “Outbreak Investigation of E. coli O145:H28: Frozen Blueberries (July 2026),” updated July 30, 2026: https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-e-coli-o145h28-frozen-blueberries-july-2026
• Circuit Court of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, Palm Beach County, Florida — Cash v. Publix Super Markets, Inc., Case No. 502026CA007802XXXAMB, filed July 13, 2026
• CBS News — “FDA upgrades recall of frozen blueberries sold at Publix to highest health risk level,” August 19, 2026: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/blueberry-recall-fda-class-1-risk/

Researched and written by Israr Ahmad, legal content researcher and founder of AllAboutLawyer.com. All facts verified against official FDA recall and outbreak notices and Palm Beach County court records, as of August 29, 2026.

Last Updated: August 29, 2026

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or medical advice. Laws vary by state and individual circumstances differ. For advice about your specific situation, consult a qualified attorney or healthcare provider.