The FDA Closed Publix’s Frozen Berry Recall on September 4 After 182,094 Units — but the GreenWise Bags Carry Best-By Dates Into 2028, and a Wrongful-Death Suit Says a Woman Died Before the First Recall

If you landed here because the Publix frozen berries recall is still circulating: the recall itself has run its course in the FDA’s records, but its instructions have not expired. In the agency’s enforcement database (openFDA, data last updated October 7, 2026), Publix’s recall of four frozen GreenWise items appears as recall event 99542, entries H-1238-2026 through H-1241-2026, all “Class I” — the tier for products that can cause serious illness — and all “Terminated.” The record dates the recall’s start to June 25, 2026, its Class I classification to August 18, 2026 and its termination to September 4, 2026.

What “terminated” means is set out in federal regulation, 21 CFR 7.55: a recall ends “when the Food and Drug Administration determines that all reasonable efforts have been made to remove or correct the product in accordance with the recall strategy, and when it is reasonable to assume that the product subject to the recall has been removed.” In plain terms, the FDA is satisfied that Publix got the berries off its shelves. It says nothing about bags already bought. The FDA’s outbreak page, updated October 5, 2026, still tells consumers that recalled product has “Best By” dates ending in 2028 and that they “should check their homes for any remaining recalled product and discard it or return it to the place of purchase for a refund.” Frozen berries keep; a bag bought in June can still be in a freezer drawer.

The enforcement entries also give the first public volume figures for the Publix side of this recall: 44,994 units of the 10-ounce blueberries, 37,260 of the 48-ounce blueberries, 39,520 of the 10-ounce mixed berries and 60,320 of the 48-ounce mixed berries — 182,094 units, by our addition, distributed in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The supplier’s separate recalls are a different story: Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A.’s July 3 recall (H-1181-2026, 3,640 cases) and its Walmart Great Value expansion (H-1380-2026, 3,026 cases, classified Class I on September 16) are both still listed as “Ongoing.”

What Publix products are on the recall list? Four, all lots, per Publix’s July 29, 2026 announcement: 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; and GreenWise Organic Whole Mixed Berries, 48-ounce, UPC 41415-12153. That notice widened an earlier one: on July 3 the Chilean supplier had recalled a single lot of the 10-ounce GreenWise blueberries, lot code 60401. Publix says it stopped selling the products internally “as of the end of June 2026” and that they “remain unavailable for sale.” If you have any of these four UPCs, the lot number does not matter.

Which brand of frozen fruit is recalled? Besides Publix’s GreenWise, two other store brands, both from the same supplier. On October 2, 2026 Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A. of San Carlos, Chile added Walmart’s Great Value Organic Triple Berry Blend 10 oz (UPC 7874211226, lots 6 031 01 and 6 041 01, best by January 31, 2028 and February 10, 2028) and Great Value Organic Blueberries 10 oz (UPC 7874211213, lots 6 019 01, 6 040 01 and 6 163 01, best by January 19, 2028; February 9, 2028 and June 12, 2028), sold in 30 states and Puerto Rico, plus one lot of Trader Joe’s Organic Mixed Berry Blend 12 oz (UPC 00977654, lot 6 051 01 on the back, best before February 20, 2028), sold in 26 states and the District of Columbia. These came on top of the September 2 Great Value Triple Berry lot 6040 01-6, best by February 9, 2028, which the FDA says was sold at Walmart in 26 states and Puerto Rico. On the Walmart and Trader Joe’s products the lot code does matter; only the listed lots are recalled. Our October 13 report has the full state lists.

Every product in these notices is frozen. The recall notices for this outbreak name no fresh blueberries, and this page does not cover fresh fruit.

Check the UPC on any GreenWise frozen blueberry or mixed-berry bag. If it matches, do not eat it; Publix’s notice says the product “should be discarded or returned to Publix for a full refund.” Publix Customer Care is at (800) 242-1227, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday. Walmart and Trader Joe’s products go back to those stores for a full refund; the supplier’s line is 336-899-5612 or Info.foodsafety@comfrut.com. The refund is the only money on offer from the recall itself. There is no form, no fund and no deadline.

Are frozen berries safe to eat right now? The agencies answer only for the recalled products: the FDA says “Restaurants and retailers should not sell or serve recalled frozen berry products” and consumers should not eat them. As of the FDA’s October 5 update, “no new illnesses have been reported since this outbreak ended.” The supplier is on FDA Import Alert 99-35, so its frozen blueberries offered for entry into the United States “may be detained without physical examination.” The recall notices cover only the products and lots they list.

If you ate a recalled product: the FDA says symptoms begin “anywhere from a few days after consuming contaminated food or up to nine days later” — severe stomach cramps, diarrhea that may be bloody, fever, nausea or vomiting. Some infections lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome, a form of kidney failure. The agency says to consult a health care provider immediately if you have symptoms after eating recalled berries. If you were sick and plan to take legal action, keep the bag or a photo of the UPC and best-by date, your receipt or Publix loyalty record, and any lab result.

No. As of October 19, 2026 there is no class action settlement over the GreenWise berries, and no court has approved any payment program. What exists is individual injury litigation in Florida state court. Supermarket News reported on September 25, 2026 that the law firm Morgan & Morgan filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in Pinellas County Circuit Court against Publix Super Markets and distributor Quirch Foods on behalf of the husband and son of a Largo, Florida woman who, the suit alleges, died on June 20 after eating GreenWise organic blueberries; the son allegedly was hospitalized. According to Gray News, the complaint alleges the companies are liable for the “defective and unreasonably dangerous condition of the product”; Supermarket News reports that it says both failed to “adequately perform inspections and quality assurance.” These are allegations, not findings. Publix told Supermarket News it would be inappropriate to comment on pending litigation, and the outlet could not reach Quirch Foods for comment. We have not read the complaint and could not confirm its case number.

The death is not in the official count. The CDC closed the outbreak with no deaths reported, and a CDC spokesperson told Supermarket News that “the CDC did not receive any attributable deaths from state health departments among the confirmed cases while the outbreak investigation was open.” Whether the berries caused the death is a question the case will have to prove. Supermarket News also notes that another Florida couple sued Publix in July, alleging they became ill after eating the recalled berries; our September 4 report covers that filing.

That shapes the scam question. Any email, text or ad that promises a “Publix berry settlement” payment, or asks for a fee or bank details to “claim” one, does not correspond to any settlement in the public record. A real class settlement would have a court-approved notice and an administrator’s website. Refunds come from the store, and only at the store.

Twelve was the first number. The FDA’s July 6 update counted “twelve people” in two states with four hospitalizations; seven of nine people interviewed reported eating frozen blueberries, and five of them specifically named GreenWise blueberries bought at Publix. Much of the recall coverage was written then and never updated. The final figures, per the CDC’s closing update of September 21, 2026: 17 people in Florida and Georgia, ages 2 to 88, illnesses starting May 11 to August 2, 2026, and 6 hospitalized (35%). Eleven of 13 people interviewed (85%) reported eating frozen blueberries, against 24% in a background survey. The CDC adds that the true number was “likely much higher than the number reported.”

The evidence against the berries came largely from Publix’s own testing: all FDA samples were negative, but one Publix sample of GreenWise frozen blueberries “tested positive for the same strain of E. coli that made people sick.” FDA traceback led to the Chilean supplier. The FDA says the October 2 expansion came after an onsite foreign inspection, and that during the investigation “the firm did not provide all records to FDA” that the agency had asked for. Publix’s piece of this is finished on paper. The supplier’s recalls remain open, and the FDA still tells consumers to check their homes for recalled product, which has “Best By” dates ending in 2028.