Carrot lovers beware: there’s still a chance your frozen vegetable could be dangerous E. coli bacteria. The list of potentially contaminated carrot products has grown in recent days and now includes carrots just sold at Whole Foods.
State health officials last weekend announced the outbreak, which has affected people in 18 states so far. The cases were traced to carrots from one particular supplier, Grimmway Farms. Following the announcement, Grimmway Farms recalled a number of its whole and baby carrots, which are sold directly by the company or under various brand names in many different locations, including Wegmans and Trader Joe’s. This week, the list of products recalled by the company and others has been expanded.
On Wednesday, Grimmway Farms extended its list of recalled products to cover additional bag sizes. Companies Fabalish Inc and F&S Fresh Foods have also issued their own recalls for several products, which may contain contaminated carrots supplied by Grimmway. Certain products recalled by F&S Fresh Foods are sold under the Whole Foods brand: Whole Foods Market 15 oz. Organic Carrot Sticks and Whole Foods Market 15 oz. Organic Carrots & Celery. A full list of recalled products can be seen here.
As of November 22, at least 39 people have fallen ill E. coli since the outbreak, 15 people have been hospitalized and one has died as a result. I E. coli The strain behind this outbreak, known as O121:H19, produces toxins that raise the risk of serious, life-threatening complications such as hemolytic–uremic syndrome (HUS), which can cause severe damage to the kidneys and other organs. It is possible that there are more people who are sick than reported, as most people are catching it E. coli and other foodborne illnesses do not require medical attention.
Although the affected products were sold all over the country, the risk to customers who buy carrots today is probably now low. Health officials said any contaminated products may no longer be sold in stores. But it is still possible for people to contract E. coli from dirty carrots stored in refrigerators and freezers. Depending on the final method, green carrots can last up to a month without going bad, so the risk of ongoing cases is real. Officials are warning the public to check their homes and make sure they don’t handle recalled carrots.
“If you have these products in your home, do not eat or use them, throw them away, and clean and sanitize the affected areas. If you bought whole or baby carrots and stored them outside of the original packaging and don’t know what type they are, you should not eat them and you should throw them away,” the FDA said in its latest update on the outbreak.
The carrot outbreak follows an unrelated outbreak caused by a different toxin-producing strain. E. coli the strain that contaminated the onions used in McDonald’s Quarter Pounders. Although the outbreak has continued, following the removal of contaminated onions, the company is still facing lawsuits over food poisoning.
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