While the contaminated carrots should be off the shelves, a federal alert over the weekend asked consumers nationally to check any frozen supply they might have after a national E. coli outbreak was reported over the weekend by a Bakersfield-based farm.
Grimmway Farms initiated a voluntary recall Saturday of multiple sizes and brands of bagged organic whole and baby carrots, according to a post from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While the sell dates have passed for the products, the vegetables are often stored frozen for food-prep and pet food, but those supplies are also at risk of contamination, according to officials.
“Grimmway Farms has issued a recall of select organic whole carrots and organic baby carrots that should no longer be in grocery stores but may be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers,” states the alert, which was originally published by Grimmway, through the Food and Drug Administration.
The CDC reported 38 people have been identified as affected, with 18 of them hospitalized. More than 90% of those impacted were Caucasian and 71% were female, based on the available data.
FDA’s traceback of some of these purchases identified Grimmway Farms as the common supplier of organic whole and baby carrots in this outbreak. In response, on Saturday, Grimmway Farms initiated a voluntary recall of these carrots and contacted their distributors
The recall impacted more than a dozen brands for baby carrots and whole carrots over specific dates:
- Organic whole carrots that were available for purchase at retail from Aug. 14 through Oct. 23 (365, Bunny Luv, Cal-Organic, Compliments, Full Circle, Good & Gather, GreenWise, Marketside, Nature’s Promise, O Organic, President’s Choice, Simple Truth, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans, Wholesome Pantry).
- Organic baby carrots including specific best-if-used-by dates printed on the bags ranging from Sept. 11 to Nov. 12, 2024 (365, Bunny Luv, Cal-Organic, Compliments, Full Circle, Good & Gather, GreenWise, Grimmway Farms, Kroger, LIDL, Marketside, Nature’s Promise, O Organic, President’s Choice, Raley’s, Simple Truth, Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans, Wholesome Pantry).
The FDA’s investigation into the incident is ongoing, according to the agency.
Grimmway has not released any statement on social media since Thursday, when its Facebook page posted a recipe for making carrot ginger wellness shots.
One of the largest farmers in the world, Grimmway harvests more than 50,000 acres of certified organic produce across several states, an area that’s approximately 78 square miles. For reference, the Santa Clarita Valley covers approximately 70 square miles.
The symptoms for E. Coli contamination include “severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, nausea, and/or vomiting,” according to the FDA. Media reports have linked one death to the outbreak.
“These products may have been contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (E. coli) O121:H19. E. coli O121:H19 is a bacterium that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, elderly people and those with a weakened immune system,” according to the FDA website. “Some infections can cause severe bloody diarrhea conditions, such as a hemolytic uremic syndrome, or the development of high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, and neurologic problems.”
The incubation period for E. coli O121:H19 in humans can range from 24 hours to as much as 10 days. The average incubation period is three to four days.
