E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots infects dozens: NPR

Federal health officials say the current E. coli outbreak is linked to organic whole bags of carrots and baby carrots sold by Grimmway Farms.

Mychele Daniau/AFP via Getty Images

hide caption

change caption

Mychele Daniau/AFP via Getty Images

One person has died and at least 38 people have been sickened after an E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots, according to federal health officials.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday that cases appeared between Sept. 6 and Oct. 28 in 18 states, with Washington, Minnesota and New York reporting the highest number of cases.

The CDC warned that the outbreak may have reached additional states, and the actual number of infected individuals is likely much higher than reported.

This map shows the location of the 39 people reported sick from the current E. coli outbreak. The CDC said the true number of infected individuals is likely much higher.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

hide caption

change caption

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

“This is because many people recover without medical attention and are not tested for E. coli,” the agency said in a declaration.

Investigations indicate that Grimmway Farms was the common supplier of the organic carrots consumed by individuals before they became ill, according to the CDC. On Saturday, Grimmway Farms – which is one of the world’s largest producers of carrots – launched a remind for several sizes and brands of its organic baby and whole carrots.

That includes baby organic carrots with best-if-used-by dates that ran from Sept. 11 to Nov. 12, and whole organic carrots that were sold in stores around Aug. 14 to Oct. 23.

The recall affects carrots sold at Trader Joe’s, Wegmans, Sprouts, 365 from Whole Foods, Good & Gather from Target, Marketside from Walmart, GreenWise from Publix, Simple Truth from Kroger and more. A complete list is available at FDA website.

Grimmway Farms, based in Bakersfield, Calif., said the recalled items are likely no longer sold in grocery stores, but may be in customers’ refrigerators or freezers. The company urged customers with recalled carrots to discard them and clean all surfaces they touched.

Grimmway Farms added that the implicated farms are out of production.

The CDC said E. coli infections can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, sepsis and other illnesses. Symptoms usually appear three to four days after the bacteria are ingested. Most people recover on their own after five to seven days.

However, the infection can sometimes result in a serious health condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can lead to kidney failure, permanent health problems, and even death.

The Food and Drug Administration said the recalled products may have been contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing type of E. coli. So far, none of the 38 cases reviewed by the CDC have developed HUS.