For the third time in five months, federal public health officials have sounded the alarm and ordered a major recall after a deadly outbreak of foodborne illness. This time, the culprit is E. coli bacteria lurking in whole bagged and baby organic carrots.
So far, one person has died and 39 people have become ill from the E. coli strain, with 15 hospitalized due to the outbreak. The cases, traced to carrots sold by Grimmway Farms of Bakersfield, California, have been reported in 18 states nationwide.
Company and federal officials announced the recall on November 16 for the carrots, which were sold from approximately August 14 through October 23, according to the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, the baby carrots have different use-by-dates ranging from September 11 through November 12, 2024.
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It’s likely that the products are in home refrigerators or freezers and no longer on store shelves.
In a statement, Jeff Huckaby, Grimmway Farms president and CEO, said his company is looking into the source of the outbreak.
“We take our role in ensuring the safety and quality of our products seriously,” he said. “The health of our customers and the integrity of our products are our highest priorities, and we are conducting a thorough review of our growing, harvest, and processing practices.”
The carrots were sold nationwide under several grocery store-brand names, including Whole Foods Market’s 365, Giant Foods’ Nature’s Promise, and Safeway’s O-Organic, as well as different brands sold at Costco, Publix, Target, Trader Joe’s, and Wegmans grocery stores. The current list of the recalled products appears on the FDA’s website.
E. coli can cause serious illness, including severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, bloody stools, fever, nausea, and/or vomiting. It can be fatal in young children, the elderly or those with compromised immune systems.
Symptoms can begin within a few days of consuming contaminated food or up to nine days later.
Authorities urge consumers who purchased carrots that are being recalled to throw them out immediately or return them to the store. Anyone who believes they may have eaten the contaminated product should contact a healthcare professional.
The E. coli outbreak in carrots is the latest in a cluster of food-borne illnesses traced to food production.
In late July, Boar’s Head, one of the nation’s largest producers of deli meat, shut down its processing plant in Jarratt, Virginia, after the government traced a fatal listeria outbreak to its liverwurst production line.
The outbreak led to 10 deaths and 59 hospitalizations across 19 states, according to the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention (CDC), and more than 7 million pounds of meat was recalled. The company settled a class action lawsuit on the matter last week.
In October, the Department of Agriculture announced that it had discovered listeria in facilities operated by BrucePac, a major ready-to-eat food processor. BrucePac was forced to recall some 12 million pounds of pre-cooked meat and poultry products, including frozen meals, refrigerated salads, taquitos, chicken breast strips, and wraps.
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To date, there are no confirmed reports of illnesses or deaths stemming from the BrucePac meat recall.
Listeria can remain on food preparation surfaces, like meat slicers, cutting boards, and counters. It can remain on contaminated food even after refrigeration, and can take up to 10 weeks for an infected person to show symptoms.
Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or email questions to MPHotline@usda.gov.
Information on current recalls is available at Foodsafety.gov. And consumers can use the free Food Recalls & Alerts phone app (Apple and Android) to get FDA, USDA, and pet food recall notifications on their phones.