A Florida widower says frozen blueberries from Publix killed his wife, even though federal health officials say the outbreak tied to those berries caused no deaths at all.
Quick Take
- Richard Mullins filed a lawsuit in Pinellas County claiming his wife Karla died after eating recalled Publix GreenWise frozen blueberries, and their son Spencer got sick too.
- Federal officials linked the berries to an E. coli O145:H28 outbreak that grew from 12 to 17 confirmed illnesses across Florida and Georgia.
- Publix recalled a single lot first, then expanded the recall to cover every lot of its GreenWise organic blueberries and mixed berries.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) both reported no deaths in their official outbreak counts, creating a gap the lawsuit will need to close.
What The Recall Actually Covered
Publix pulled its 10-ounce GreenWise Organic frozen blueberries after officials tied a specific lot to E. coli contamination. The recalled bag carried lot code 60401 and a best-by date of February 9, 2028, and it had shipped to stores in eight states.
Investigators pointed to E. coli O145:H28, a Shiga toxin-producing strain that can cause severe stomach illness, kidney damage, and in rare cases death.
Publix did not stop at one lot. The company later recalled every lot of its GreenWise Organic Whole Blueberries and Whole Mixed Berries, a sign investigators worried the problem ran deeper than one batch.
Publix also tested its own product samples, and one came back positive for the exact same E. coli strain making people sick, according to the CDC.
Florida woman died after eating E coli-tainted frozen blueberries from Publix, lawsuit alleges https://t.co/nb0NyIfwEf
— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) September 23, 2026
The Outbreak Grew Before It Ended
Health officials first tied 12 confirmed illnesses to the berries. That number climbed to 17 cases spread across Florida and Georgia, with six people hospitalized, according to updated federal data.
The CDC eventually declared the outbreak over, closing its investigation after the case count stopped rising. Frozen produce outbreaks often follow this pattern: a cluster of illnesses, a traceback to one supplier, then an expanding recall as investigators find more contaminated product.
Consumer Reports, citing the same federal tracking, noted that health officials reported no deaths connected to the outbreak in their public case counts. That detail matters.
It does not erase the lawsuit’s claim, but it means the government’s own tally and the family’s account currently point in different directions on the single most serious allegation in the case.
The Lawsuit Names A Supply Chain
Richard Mullins filed suit alleging his wife Karla died and their son Spencer became sick after eating the recalled blueberries.
The complaint names Quirch Foods Inc. as the supplier that delivered the berries to Publix, and it identifies Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A., a Chilean grower and harvester, as the upstream source.
That company had already issued its own recall notice on July 3, warning that some blueberries might carry E. coli O145 contamination.
Naming three separate companies in one complaint sets up a familiar fight in food-safety litigation. Publix can point to its supplier.
The supplier can point to the harvester overseas. Each layer of the chain has an incentive to shift blame down the line, and untangling exactly where contamination began often takes months of discovery, lab records, and expert testimony.
Why The Gap Between Claim And Record Matters
An arrest or a lawsuit filing is an allegation, not a proven fact, and that principle applies here too. The recall notices and outbreak data confirm real contamination and real illnesses.
They do not, on their own, prove that E. coli caused Karla Mullins’ death rather than some other medical factor. Closing that gap will likely require her medical records, autopsy findings, and lab results showing whether her illness matched the outbreak strain.
Families deserve straight answers when a trip to the grocery store turns into a tragedy, and companies that sell food owe consumers rigorous safety checks, not shrugs after the fact.
At the same time, courts exist precisely to sort out claims like this one with real evidence, not press releases. Until medical records surface, the honest read is that the recall is proven and the death claim is a serious allegation still waiting on documentation.
Shoppers with GreenWise frozen blueberries or mixed berries still in a freezer should check lot codes against the FDA’s recall notice and toss or return anything matching the recalled product, since freezing does not kill E. coli.
Sources:
foxbusiness.com, goodhousekeeping.com, wsbtv.com, prevention.com, scrippsnews.com, local3news.com
