The case was confirmed by the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries on Wednesday, which says it is likely the person was infected after eating Fruzio Mixed Berries in late October.
Consumers have since been instructed to return or throw out the Fruzio brand of mixed berries (strawberries and blackberries), strawberries, blackberries, and three berry mix (blackberries, strawberries and blueberries) while the company has been forced to withdraw its product from shelves.
Ministry of Primary Industries director of plant food and environment Peter Thomson says the agency was alerted to the case on Tuesday.
“The person ate the berries in late October and reported symptoms at the beginning of this month. The person was briefly hospitalised for observation, but released the same day,” he said.
“The next step is to have the virus tested to see if it is the same strain as that in the four other hepatitis A cases.”