CDC Warns of new E. coli Outbreak Linked to Organic Carrots

CDC Warns of new E. coli Outbreak Linked to Organic Carrots

CDC has posted a Food Safety Alert regarding a multi-state outbreak linked to organic carrots: https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/outbreaks/e-coli-O121.html

Key Points:

  • Thirty-nine people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli have been reported from 18 states. Fifteen people have been hospitalized and one person has died.
  • Interviews with sick people and traceback findings show that organic whole and baby carrots sold by Grimmway Farms are making people sick.
  • Grimmway Farms recalled the implicated carrots. Multiple brands and sizes of bagged organic whole and baby carrots were recalled.
  • These products are no longer for sale at stores but may still be people’s homes. Check your refrigerators and throw them away.

What You Should Do:

  • Do not eat any recalled bagged organic carrots.
  • If you have severe symptoms of E. coli infection, seek health care, and tell your provider about what you ate.
  • Businesses should not use recalled bagged organic carrots.

E. coli Symptoms:

  • Most people infected with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli experience severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (often bloody), and vomiting.
    • Symptoms usually start 3 to 4 days after swallowing the bacteria.
    • Most people recover without treatment after 5 to 7 days.
  • Some people may develop serious kidney problems (hemolytic uremic syndrome, also called HUS) and would need to be hospitalized.
  • For more information about E. coli, see: About Escherichia coli Infection.
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