A Florida family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Publix and distributor Quirch Foods, alleging that contaminated GreenWise frozen blueberries bought at a store in Largo led to Karla Mullins’s death and the hospitalisation of her son.
The complaint says Mrs Mullins bought the organic blueberries from a Publix supermarket on Ulmerton Road on or around 21 May. She and her son, Spencer, ate the fruit and later became ill, according to court documents.
Mrs Mullins was treated at Morton Plant Hospital before she died on 20 June, the lawsuit alleges. Her husband, Richard Mullins, and their son are seeking damages from Publix and Quirch Foods, which is identified in the complaint as an intermediary distributor.
The case was filed in Pinellas County Circuit Court. It accuses the companies of selling a product that was defective and unreasonably dangerous, while the allegations have not been tested at trial.
Law firm Morgan & Morgan, which represents the family, said: “This family lost a treasured mother and wife because a product that was supposed to be safe was contaminated with a dangerous and deadly pathogen.”
Representatives for Publix and Quirch Foods had not publicly responded to the allegations at the time of publication.
Recall followed E. coli outbreak
The lawsuit follows a recall of GreenWise Organic frozen whole blueberries and whole mixed berries linked by US health officials to an outbreak of E. coli O145:H28.
Chilean supplier Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A. recalled one lot of GreenWise blueberries on 3 July. Publix later expanded the action to cover all lots of the two products, which had been distributed to stores in several states including Florida.
The Food and Drug Administration said on 21 September that the outbreak investigation had ended after 17 infections were reported in Florida and Georgia, with six people hospitalised. No deaths had been recorded in the official outbreak case count.
The FDA said one sample of Publix’s GreenWise frozen blueberries tested positive for the same E. coli strain linked to the outbreak. Consumers who still have recalled products have been advised not to eat them and to dispose of them or return them for a refund.
