Federal health officials say the current E. coli outbreak is linked to bagged organic whole carrots and baby carrots sold by Grimway Farms. Michel Daniau/AFP via Getty Images Hide caption
toggle caption
Michel Daniau/AFP via Getty Images
An E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots has left one person dead and at least 38 sick, federal health officials said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Sunday that 18 states had confirmed cases between September 6 and October 28, with Washington state, Minnesota and New York reporting the highest number of cases.
The CDC warned that the outbreak may have spread to other states and the actual number of cases may be much higher than reported.
This map shows the locations of the 39 people reported to have become ill due to the current E. coli outbreak. The CDC said the actual number of infections is likely much higher. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Hide caption
toggle caption
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
“This is because many people have recovered without receiving medical care and have not been tested for E. coli,” the agency said in a statement.
According to the CDC, investigation shows Grimmway Farms was a common supplier of organic carrots consumed by the individual prior to becoming ill. On Saturday, Grimway Farms, one of the world’s largest carrot producers, began recalling multiple sizes and brands of organic baby carrots and whole carrots.
This includes organic baby carrots with best-before dates between September 11th and November 12th, as well as whole organic carrots sold in stores between August 14th and October 23rd.
The recalls include Trader Joe’s, Wegmans, Sprouts, Whole Foods’ 365, Target’s Good & Gather, Walmart’s Marketside, Publix’s Greenwise, and Kroger’s Simple Truth. It’s a carrot. A complete list is available on the FDA website.
Grimmway Farms, based in Bakersfield, Calif., said the recalled products are likely no longer sold in grocery stores, but may be in customers’ refrigerators and freezers. The company asked customers with recalled carrots to throw them away and disinfect any surfaces they touched.
Grimway Farms added that the farms involved were no longer in production.
The CDC said E. coli infections can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, sepsis and other illnesses. Symptoms usually appear 3 to 4 days after the bacteria is ingested. Most people recover on their own after 5 to 7 days.
However, the infection can cause a serious health condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can lead to kidney failure, permanent health problems, and even death.
The Food and Drug Administration announced that the recalled products may have been contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. Of the 38 cases investigated by the CDC so far, none developed HUS.
