CRAVEN COUNTY, N.C .— Over the weekend, health and food inspection agencies announced an outbreak of hepatitis A possibly related to organic strawberries.
The Food and Drug Administration is currently investigating the issue. So far, no North Carolina cases of hepatitis A tied to strawberries have been announced.
What You Need To Know
- The FDA suspects certain brands of organic strawberries caused a hepatitis A outbreak across the country
- No North Carolina hepatitis A cases related to strawberries have been reported
- Butch White has been a strawberry farmer for almost 40 years
- He keeps his strawberries safe with fungicides when he has to, but says it's more difficult for organic farmers
The FDA recommends anyone who bought strawberries from Fresh-Kampo and HEB brands, sold between March 5 and April 25, to throw them away.
When Butch White, a strawberry farmer at White's Farm in Vanceboro, heard about the hepatitis outbreak, he said he felt bad for the farmers' bad luck.
“I want everybody to do good,” White said. “I mean, [they've] put a lot of time and work and effort into it and for something like that to happen, and it's heartbreaking.”
White puts a lot of time and hard work into his strawberry farm and keeping his strawberries healthy and safe to eat.
“I bought the place 36 years ago,” he said. “We started out with one acre of strawberries.”
They plant about 50,000 strawberry plants by hand every year. There were still a few left out in the fields this week, but strawberries don't like heat. So the end of May marks the end of strawberry season in North Carolina.
White says the weather can really impact a strawberry crop.
“Sunshiny, pretty, kinda cool, they do great,” White said. “If you get into a rainy season, I hate to say it because I don't like to spray unless I have to. But you have to spray more fungicides in a rainy season. And it'll try to save your crop because it's a big investment in this crop every year.”
He had a great season this year, but White admits it's not always an easy job.
“I don't know if it's because I'm getting older or not, but it does seem like it's getting harder and harder to raise strawberries,” White said.
But it's worth it when he sees kids out picking his berries.
“Watching all the young kids when it's their first time,” White said. “You ask them if they've eaten any strawberries, and their face will be bright red, and all and they tell you no. But the kids are having a good time, and that's what it's all about.”
The FDA asks that you reach out to your doctor if you show any hepatitis symptoms after eating Fresh-Kampo or HEB strawberries.