Pineapple contaminated with hepatitis A may have been sold in Yorkton store

People are being warned that hepatitis A virus has been detected in a sample of fresh pineapple chunks in ready-to-go cups that may have been sold at Save-On-Foods in Yorkton.

The affected products include Western Family brand fruit salad 198g and Western Family citrus salad 226g with a best-before date of Aug. 19. The product should not be consumed and should either be returned to the store or thrown out.

Saskatchewan’s health ministry says the investigation is ongoing and additional products and stores may be identified. “The risk to the general public is very low. No illnesses have been reported to date,” the ministry said in a news release.

A food alert was already issued by B.C. and Alberta.

Hepatitis A is a viral infection of the liver that can be contracted by ingestion of contaminated food or water.

Symptoms usually last from one to two weeks, and can include yellow skin or eyes, loss of appetite, fever, tiredness, stomach ache, nausea, dark-coloured urine, and light or whitish-coloured bowel movements.

Illness can occur within 15 to 50 days after exposure to the virus, but usually within 28 to 30 days. People can be infectious one to two weeks before symptoms occur.

Vaccination is only effective if received within two weeks of eating the contaminated product.