huge carrot recall affecting canada and the united states, including puerto rico, due to shiga toxin-producing e. coli
this recall may expand. see below for details.
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.
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. 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. Symptoms include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, nausea, and/or vomiting. The incubation period for E. coli O121:H19 in humans can range from 24 hours to as much as ten days. The average incubation period is 3 to 4 days.
The following recalled products were shipped directly to retail distribution centers nationwide in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada:
- Organic whole carrots, which do not have a best-if-used-by date printed on the bag, but were available for purchase at retail stores from August 14 through October 23, 2024,
- Organic baby carrots with best-if-used-by-dates ranging from September 11 through November 12, 2024. The recalled carrots should not be available for purchase in stores but may be in consumers' refrigerators or freezers.
affected whole carrot brands and their bag sizes:
- 365 1Ib, 2lb, 5lb
- Bunny Luv 1lb, 2lb, 5lb, 10lb, 25lb
- Cal-Organic 1Ib, 2lb, 51b, 6lb, 10lb, 25lb
- Compliments 2lb
- Full Circle 1lb, 2lb, 5lb
- Good & Gather 2lb
- GreenWise 1Ib, 25lbs
- Marketside 2lb
- Nature's Promise 1Ib, 5lb
- O-Organics 1lb, 2Ib, 5lb, 10lb
- President's Choice 2lb
- Simple Truth 1lb, 2lb, 5lb
- Trader Joe's 1lb
- Wegmans 1lb, 2lb, 5lb
- Wholesome Pantry 1lb, 2lb, 5lb
affected baby (cut and peeled) carrot brands and their bag sizes:
- 365 12oz, 1lb, 2lb
- Bunny Luv 1lb, 2lb, 3lb, 5lb
- Cal-Organic 12oz, 1lb, 2lb, 2pk/2lbs
- Compliments 1lb
- Full Circle 1 lb
- Good & Gather 12oz, 1lb
- GreenWise 1lb
- Grimmway Farms 25 lb bag
- Kroger 2lb
- LIDL 1lb
- Marketside 12oz, 1lb, 2lb
- Nature's Promise 1lb
- O-Organics 12oz, 1lb, 2lb
- President's Choice 1Ib, 2lb
- Raley's 1lb
- Simple Truth 1 Ib, 2lb
- Sprouts 1 Ib, 2lb
- Trader Joe's 1lb
- Wegmans 12oz, 1lb, 2lb
- Wholesome Pantry 1lb, 2lb
formatting on tumblr is difficult, please see the FDA outbreak investigation page for the affected ranges of best-by dates for baby carrots, and pictures of the affected carrots.
as of time of posting, the main FDA recall page and the CDC investigation page have an error and do not list Kroger or LIDL baby carrots, while the FDA outbreak investigation page does. I am assuming that this means they are part of the recall and that this error will probably be fixed soon.
the recalled carrots are thought to be associated with an E. coli O121:H19 outbreak. 39 illnesses, 15 hospitalizations, and one death have been linked to this outbreak so far.
as always, these numbers are expected to be lower than the true number of illnesses and deaths, and will likely rise. not everyone seeks medical attention, and even when all testing and reporting procedures go as smoothly as possible, it can take weeks to officially link an illness to an outbreak.
noteworthy from the FDA investigation page:
FDA is working with the firm to determine the source of contamination and whether additional products are affected. This advisory will be updated as information becomes available.
in short, there is a possibility this contamination may affect more than just the recalled carrots. keep up to date with these pages to stay on top of this outbreak.
the recalled carrots are no longer on shelves. but if they are in your fridge or freezer, destroy or discard them and clean anything they may have touched.
do NOT eat these carrots! this strain of e. coli is dangerous and at least one person has died.
if you think you got sick in relation to this outbreak, please seek medical attention, even if just to get your illness officially associated with this outbreak.
