Urgent warning issued as E. coli outbreak linked to carrots leaves one dead and 15 hospitalised

An urgent warning has been issued after an E. coli outbreak linked to carrots has left one person dead and a further 15 hospitalised.

The bacterium, known by its full name of Escherichia coli, is commonly found in the gut of humans and animals.

Most strains are relatively harmless, but some can cause serious illness, with the World Health Organization (WHO) saying the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) causes ‘severe’ foodborne disease.

Many people infected with the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli usually experience symptoms within three to four days of ingesting the bacteria, including stomach cramps, diarrhea (often bloody) and vomiting.

While the majority recover without treatment, after five to seven days, some may develop serious kidney problems that require hospitalisation.

Most strains are fairly harmless, but some can cause serious illness (Steve Gschmeissner/Science Photo Library/Getty Images)

Officials in the US have issued an urgent warning over a new outbreak, which has been linked to organic carrots.

A statement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said: “CDC and public health officials in several states are investigating a multistate outbreak of E. coli O121 infections linked to multiple brands of recalled organic whole bagged carrots and baby carrots sold by Grimmway Farms.

“Carrots on store shelves right now are likely not affected but may be in people's homes. If you have any recalled carrots in your home, throw them out or return them to the store.”

The main advice from the CDC is to obviously ‘not eat any recalled bagged organic carrots’, with shoppers told to check their refrigerators and freezers for the specific recalled products:

Grimmway Farms Baby Organic Carrots

• Best-if-used-by dates ranging from 9/11/2024 to 11/12/2024
• Brands: 365, Bunny Luv, Cal-Organic, Compliments, Full Circle, Good & Gather, GreenWise, Grimmway Farms, Marketside, Nature's Promise, O-Organic, President's Choice, Raley's, Simple Truth, Sprouts, Trader Joe's, Wegmans, Wholesome Pantry

Grimmway Farms Whole Organic Carrots

• Were available for purchase in stores approximately from 8/14/2024 through 10/23/2024
• No best-if-used-by-dates are on the bags of organic whole carrots.
• Brands: 365, Bunny Luv, Cal-Organic, Compliments, Full Circle, Good & Gather, GreenWise, Marketside, Nature's Promise, O-Organic, President's Choice, Simple Truth, Trader Joe's, Wegmans, Wholesome Pantry

The outbreak has been linked to organic carrots (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

“Wash items and surfaces that may have touched the recalled organic carrots using hot soapy water or a dishwasher,” it added.

A recall notice from Grimmway Farms said the specific products ‘may have been contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (E. coli) O121:H19’.

“The company is voluntarily recalling these carrots after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that these products may be associated with an outbreak,” it said.

“To date, 39 illnesses and one death have been associated with an E. coli O121:H19 outbreak.

“The company has also notified its customers who received the recalled product directly from Grimmway Farms and requested that those customers notify distributors of the recall products.

“The implicated farms are out of production, and none of the recalled carrots have tested positive for E. coli O121:H19.”

LADbible Group has reached out to Grimmway Farms for comment.