Frozen Berry Recall Expanded October 2: Which Great Value, Trader Joe's and GreenWise Bags to Pull

If your café or smoothie bar buys frozen berries at Walmart, Trader Joe's or Publix, check the lot code on every bag in your freezer before anyone blends with it. On October 2, 2026, Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A. added more Great Value and Trader Joe's organic frozen berry lots to its recall over possible E. coli O145 contamination. That October list isn't the whole picture. A Great Value Triple Berry Blend lot recalled in September isn't repeated in it, and in July Publix recalled every lot of four GreenWise frozen berry items. FDA's page for that Publix recall now says it has been completed and terminated. That's the status of the notice, not a sign that leftover bags are fine. A bag that matches any of the notices comes out of use: throw it away or return it to the store. A bag or bin you can't identify stays out of use until you can.

FDA's outbreak page says it directly: "Restaurants and retailers should not sell or serve recalled frozen berry products." Below is every recalled pack listed so far, how to check one bag against all of them, and a made-up café freezer worked through bag by bag.

Every recalled frozen berry pack so far

FDA's outbreak investigation page links four recall notices. This table copies their product names, UPCs, lot codes and dates as printed. Where the October notice lists several lots and several dates for one product, it doesn't say which date goes with which lot, so this table doesn't either, and neither does the example further down.

The full state lists are in each notice. Don't use them to clear a bag. FDA's distribution map says recalled product "could have been distributed further, reaching additional states," and a bag bought in one state can end up in a freezer in another.

Why the October list alone isn't enough

• The September lot isn't in it. Great Value Triple Berry Blend lot 6040 01-6 was recalled on September 2 and isn't repeated on October 2. A Triple Berry bag that misses the October lots can still be recalled.
• GreenWise doesn't need a lot code. Publix recalled every lot of the four GreenWise items in the table.
• The outbreak is over and one notice is closed, but recalled bags still come out of use. CDC declared the outbreak over on September 21, 2026. FDA says the October expansion came after that, based on new information from an onsite foreign inspection of the firm. FDA's page for the July Publix recall now says, "This recall has been completed and FDA has terminated this recall." It doesn't give a date, and it doesn't say leftover GreenWise bags are safe to use. FDA's outbreak page, updated October 5, still tells consumers to check for any remaining recalled product, notes that recalled bags carry dates running into 2028, and says restaurants and retailers should not sell or serve recalled frozen berry products.
• FDA's summary counts additional lots; the list gives every code. FDA's October 5 update says the October 2 expansion includes "one additional lot" of Great Value Triple Berry Blend and "two additional lots" of Great Value Blueberries. The itemized list on the same page, and the company's notice, give two Triple Berry lot codes and three Blueberries lot codes. Neither page says how those counts relate or which codes FDA counts as additional, so don't try to work it out. Check bags against every itemized lot code.

How to check one bag

1. Match the product exactly. Brand, product name, "Organic" and net weight all have to match a row in the table. As of October 6, no other Great Value or Trader Joe's frozen berry product is named in these notices.
2. If it's one of the four GreenWise items, you're done. It's recalled, whatever the lot.
3. Find the lot code. The notices put it on the front of the Great Value bags and on the back of the Trader Joe's bag. Write it down exactly as printed: every digit, letter, space and dash. If you can't read all of it, stop there. The bag is unresolved.
4. Compare it with every lot listed for that product, in every notice. Same product and a lot code identical to a listed one, character for character, means the bag is recalled. The notices print codes in different styles, and the codes aren't interchangeable: July's 60401 (GreenWise), September's 6040 01-6 (Great Value Triple Berry) and October's 6 040 01 (Great Value Blueberries) are three different codes on three different products. If your code differs from a listed one only in spacing, keep the bag out of use and treat it as unresolved. That's our cautious advice, not something the company has confirmed, so ask them. A missing or extra digit, letter or suffix makes it a different code. That's not a match, and it's not a clearance either: the bag is unresolved.
5. Write down the date, but don't let it decide. The notices tell people not to eat bags with the listed lot codes. If the lot code matches and the best-by or best-before date isn't one listed for that product, the bag is still recalled. Mention the mismatch when you contact the company.
6. Treat the UPC as a cross-check. Look for the notice's digits on the bag. FDA's product photos don't show the barcode, so we can't tell you exactly how the number is printed on the bag. A UPC that looks slightly different doesn't clear a bag on its own.

When a bag doesn't give you a clean answer

Call it unresolved and keep it out of use if:

• the lot code is missing, smudged or cut off, or you can't read the brand, product name or net weight
• the code is close to a listed lot but not identical: the spacing differs, a digit, letter or suffix is missing or extra, or the code is listed under a different product. For example, a Triple Berry bag printed 6 040 01 matches no Triple Berry lot exactly. 6 040 01 is an October Blueberries lot, and the September Triple Berry lot is 6040 01-6.
• the date matches a date listed for that product but the lot doesn't
• the berries were moved out of the bag into a bin, prep container or portioned smoothie pack, and nothing you wrote down ties them to a bag you checked

For Great Value and Trader Joe's bags, the company's notices give a contact for questions: 336-899-5612 or [email protected], Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern. For GreenWise, Publix Customer Care is (800) 242-1227, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern. An unresolved bag stays unresolved until someone with the records gives you an answer you can write down. You can also throw it away rather than wait. That's your call; the notices don't require it.

When a bag counts as "not named"

Only call a bag not named when all of this is true: you have the original bag, or a written record that ties the container to a bag you checked; the brand, product, net weight and lot code are all readable; you checked it against all four notices, plus any newer one FDA's outbreak page links; and the code isn't identical or close to any listed lot. "Not named" means only that these notices don't list that bag on the date you checked. It isn't a safety clearance, and it says nothing about distributor or wholesale packs. The bag still gets your normal food-safety checks before it's used. If it may have touched an opened recalled bag or its contents, hold it and treat that as a cross-contamination question (FDA's tips below cover it).

What the notices and FDA tell you to do

E. coli O145 is a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. The notices say it can cause severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (which may be bloody) and vomiting, and some infections lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication. FDA counts 17 illnesses in Florida and Georgia in this outbreak, with six hospitalizations and no deaths.

• The company's October 2 notice says people with the listed lots "should not consume those products," and that they "should be discarded or returned to Walmart or Trader Joe's for a full refund."
• Publix says not to eat the GreenWise items and to throw them away or return them to Publix for a full refund.
• FDA's outbreak page says restaurants and retailers should not sell or serve recalled frozen berry products.

None of these sources offers an exception for rinsing, thawing, cooking or baking. A recalled bag doesn't go into a smoothie, a compote or a muffin batch.

FDA also publishes general tips for retailers and food service operators during outbreaks. They weren't written for this recall specifically. For recalled produce, FDA says to stop serving it whether it's fresh or frozen, keep it away from other food and equipment, and wash and sanitize the shelves, containers, cutting boards and utensils it may have touched, then wash hands. If you've already handled recalled food, FDA's tips say to contact your local health department and talk with customers about possible exposure. Your health department can tell you what applies where you operate and what to do with anything you made from a recalled bag. FDA says anyone who ate recalled berries and has symptoms of an E. coli infection should see a health care provider.

Worked example (fictional)

This café, its freezer and every bag in it are made up. Rows 1 to 3 use products and lot codes exactly as the notices print them. The notices don't say which date goes with which October lot, so row 1 leaves the date off. Row 2's date is the one the September notice lists for its single lot. Row 4's whole label is deliberately invented to show a near-miss; that product, code and date combination doesn't come from any notice. The Trader Joe's lot and date in row 6 are invented too and don't appear in any notice. On October 6, the manager of a 30-seat smoothie café goes through the chest freezer, where staff stock retail bags bought on supply runs. They find nine units.

The count: rows 1 to 3 are 4 recalled bags (2 + 1 + 1), rows 4 and 5 are 2 unresolved units, and row 6 is 3 bags not named in any notice. That's 4 + 2 + 3 = 9, which matches what was in the freezer, so nothing got skipped.

The four recalled bags go back to Walmart and Publix or into the trash, as the notices allow. The opened Triple Berry bag in row 2 went into smoothies over the weekend, so the manager also calls the local health department, as FDA's tips suggest, and the team washes and sanitizes the freezer shelf, scoops and blender jars. The three Trader Joe's bags were sealed, fully readable and checked against all four notices, and they sat on a different shelf from the opened bag, so nothing from it reached them. That's why they can go back into normal use, with the café's usual food-safety checks. "Not named" still isn't a safety clearance, and the manager will check them again if the recall grows.

A bag-by-bag record (suggested, not required)

None of the notices asks you to keep a record. If you want one, this layout makes you check every notice instead of just the newest one, and it won't let a bag reach "not named" with a blank or a guess. Copy it for each bag or container:

Checked on (date):                  By:
Notices checked (all four, plus any newer one
FDA's outbreak page links):
  Oct 2 [ ]   Sept 2 [ ]   Publix July 29 [ ]   July 3 [ ]
  Newer: ______
Unit: sealed bag / opened bag / moved to another container
If moved, written record tying it to a checked bag:
  ______ / none

Copy each line from the original bag, exactly as printed.
Write "can't read" or "missing" instead of guessing.
Brand and product:
Net weight:
UPC:
Lot code:                           Printed on: front / back
Best-by or best-before date:
Bought at (store, approximate date if known):

1. Brand, product, "Organic" and net weight
   identical to a row in the table?
   yes, row ___ / no / can't tell
2. GreenWise Organic Whole Blueberries or Whole
   Mixed Berries, 10 oz or 48 oz? (The July 3
   notice calls the 10 oz blueberries "IQF
   Blueberries.")
   yes = recalled, any lot / no
3. Lot code identical, character for character,
   to a lot listed for that product? Check
   October 2, and for Great Value Organic Triple
   Berry Blend also 6040 01-6 (September 2).
   yes / no / can't tell
4. Lot code close to a listed lot but not
   identical: spacing differs, a digit, letter
   or suffix is missing or extra, or it's
   listed for a different product?
   yes / no
5. If the lot matched: is the date one listed
   for that product?
   yes / no / not applicable
   (a mismatch doesn't clear a matched lot;
   write it down)

Result (tick one):
[ ] Recalled: yes to 2, or yes to 3.
[ ] Unresolved, keep out of use: any "can't tell,"
    "can't read" or "missing"; yes to 4; moved with no
    record; or the date matches one listed for that
    product but the lot doesn't.
[ ] Not named in these notices as of ______: only if
    every line above came from the original bag (or a
    record tying it to one), every notice was checked,
    and nothing above points to recalled or unresolved.
    This isn't a safety clearance and says nothing about
    distributor or wholesale packs. Normal food-safety
    checks still apply. Hold it if it may have touched
    an opened recalled bag or its contents.
If unresolved, why:
What happened: thrown away / returned to ______ /
  held, asked ______ on ______
Answer received:

If your supplier or store offers a refund, a record like this helps. Throwing the bag away or returning it comes first.

Limits of this answer

This covers the four notices linked from FDA's outbreak investigation page, as posted when we checked on October 6, 2026. The recall has grown twice already, so check FDA's page again before you rely on a "not named" result later. The notices name only these retail packs. They don't name any foodservice or wholesale pack, so they don't tell you anything either way about berries you buy from a distributor. Ask your distributor whether any of its berry products are part of this recall. This isn't legal advice, and your local health department may have its own requirements.

If this check took longer than it should have because nobody knew what was in the freezer, setting up receiving records before you open makes the next one faster. For a recall that went to restaurant suppliers directly, see what restaurants should do about the Star Meat recall.

Sources

• Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A. expands recalls to include additional lots of Great Value and Trader Joe's frozen berries, company announcement posted by FDA, October 2, 2026
• Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A. expands recall to include one lot of Great Value frozen Organic Triple Berry Blend, company announcement posted by FDA, September 3, 2026
• Publix recalls all lots of GreenWise Organic Frozen Blueberries and Whole Mixed Berries, company announcement posted by FDA, July 30, 2026 (FDA's page now marks this recall completed and terminated)
• Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A. initiates recall of frozen GreenWise Organic IQF Blueberries, company announcement posted by FDA, July 6, 2026
• Outbreak Investigation of E. coli O145:H28: Frozen Blueberries (July 2026), FDA, updated October 5, 2026
• Food Safety Tips for Consumers and Retailers During an Outbreak of Foodborne Illness, FDA, current as of July 24, 2026