As the number of confirmed hepatitis A cases in Australia from frozen berries grown in China rose to 18 over the weekend, as political rhetoric about imports and local food reached staggering new heights, the company continued to insist there’s no firm link between a national hepatitis A outbreak and its recalled berries.

The company says its imported Chinese berries were recalled on health department advice despite a lack of proof from accredited laboratories of a link to the hepatitis A virus (HAV).

“At this point, we have not been provided any remaining consumer product to test from the 13 confirmed HAV cases to clinically verify there is indeed a link with the Nanna’s Mixed Berries,” managing director and chief executive Stephen Chaur said in a statement on Friday.

Mr Chaur said the company had rigorous testing that went beyond the Australian standards requirement that five per cent of imported fruit containers be tested.

“Patties Foods’ documented test regime is among the highest, testing 20 per cent of all the containers when they arrive in Australia,” he said.

But Mr Chaur said sample testing for microbial and viral markers had been increased to 100 per cent of imported frozen berries from all countries.

The company has checked quality control testing documents back to June 2014 and says they’re satisfied no biological indicators outside Australian guidelines have been detected.

Great. Prove it and make the data public.