Deadly E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots sold in U.S., Canada, officials say
E. coli Outbreak Linked to Organic Carrots Claims One Life
Tragedy has struck as one person has died in an E. coli outbreak that has affected numerous individuals who consumed organic carrots sold in Canada and the U.S., as reported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed that at least 39 people have fallen ill with E. coli infections, resulting in 15 hospitalizations. The outbreak has been traced back to fresh carrots sold by various large grocery retailers across 18 states. However, the Public Health Agency of Canada has not reported any cases related to the recalled product within Canada.
According to the CDC, the infections are linked to whole bagged carrots and baby carrots sold by Grimmway Farms in California, available at popular retailers such as Walmart, Target, Kroger, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s, among others.
The affected baby carrot brands include 365, Bunny Luv, Cal-Organic, Compliments, Grimmway Farms, O-Organic, President’s Choice, Trader Joe’s, and Wegmans, among others. Additionally, whole organic carrot brands are also included in the recall, as stated by the FDA.
In response to the outbreak, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall notice for organic carrots. The recalled whole carrots were sold between Aug. 14 and Oct. 23, while the baby carrots had best-if-used-by dates ranging from Sept. 11 through Nov. 12.
Although the contaminated carrots are unlikely to still be on store shelves, consumers are advised to check their homes and discard any affected products.
Grimmway Farms has taken proactive measures by issuing a voluntary recall of the carrots, which were distributed to stores in Canada and Puerto Rico, as announced by the FDA. The Public Health Agency of Canada has also urged consumers to sign up for food recall notifications to stay informed.
