FDA Recalls Organic Whole and Baby Carrots Linked to a Multi-State E. Coli Outbreak

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is recall several brands of organic whole carrots and organic baby carrots after they were discovered to be contaminated with “Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli,” otherwise known as E. Coli.

On Saturday, November 16, Grimmway Farms issued the recall of its products. Importantly, the company and the FDA noted in the recall that the carrots “should no longer be in grocery stores, but may be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers.”

It added that these products may be contaminated with E. coli, a “bacterium that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, elderly people and those with weakened immune systems.” Symptoms of an E. coli infection, the FDA explained, can include “severe abdominal cramps, diarrhea, fever, nausea and/or vomiting.” Symptoms usually appear between 24 hours and up to 10 days after infection.

The recalled products were shipped to retail distribution centers throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada and include the following, according to the FDA:

• Organic whole carrots that do not have a best-if-used-by date printed on the bag, but could be purchased in retail stores from August 14 to October 23, 2024.
• Organic baby carrots with best-if-used-by dates from September 11 to November 12, 2024. The recalled carrots should not be available for purchase in stores, but may be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers.

The carrots were sold under several brand names, including 365, Bunny Luv, Cal-Organic, Compliments, Full Circle, Good & Gather, GreenWise, Grimmway Farms, Marketside, Nature’s Promise, O Organics, President’s Choice, Raley’s, Nature’s Promise, Simple Truth, Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans and Wholesome Pantry.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the carrots may be the cause of a multi-state E. coli outbreak that sickened 39 people in 18 states, hospitalized 15 people and caused one death in California.

The FDA reiterated that the carrots should no longer be in stores; but if you have them in your fridge or freezer, they should not be consumed. Instead, the FDA noted that they should be “destroyed or discarded so that they cannot be consumed. If you have these products in your home, do not eat or use them, throw them away, and clean and disinfect surfaces they have touched .”

It added that any consumer who is concerned that they may have come into contact with the carrots and are ill should contact a doctor immediately.