E. Coli Outbreak In Carrots Has Led To 1 Death. Here's What You Need To Know

While many are flocking to grocery stores in preparation for the upcoming holidays, you may want to be cautious of what you grab from the produce section. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a statement warning consumers about an E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots.

The outbreak has affected several states and resulted in one death so far. Organic, whole, and (the often misunderstood) baby carrots sold by the company Grimmway Farms are specifically what has been affected and recalled. The CDC reported that 39 people in 18 states have become ill from the E. coli outbreak, though it's possible that others have been affected whose cases are as yet unreported. For reference, Washington, Minnesota, and New York have the highest number of reported cases.

Grimmway Farms issued a recall on multiple sizes and brands of its organic baby and whole carrots, including those 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. The carrots are no longer on shelves but still may be in people's refrigerators at home so the CDC is advising people to check and throw them away if they have them. Although food scientists are researching how to use E. coli to produce vanillin, the bacteria itself should be avoided at all costs.

Bunny Luv, Cal-Organic, Compliments, Full Circle, Nature's Promise, O-Organic, President's Choice, Raley's, and Wholesome Pantry are among the other brands effected by this outbreak. If the baby organic carrots in your refrigerator are from these brands and have a best-if-used by date ranging from September 11 to November 12, get rid of them.

If you have whole organic carrots from any of these brands that you purchased between August 14 and October 23, get rid of those as well. You should, of course, not eat any of these recalled carrots, but for extra protection you can wash items and surfaces the carrots may have touched since being in your home.

The CDC also advised that if you experience any severe E. coli symptoms like diarrhea, high fever, or intense vomiting to the point where you can't keep anything down, then you should contact your healthcare provider immediately. Grimmway has noted that the affected farms are also out of production. This comes hot on the heels of a recent E. coli outbreak at McDonald's that has slowed customer traffic through the fast food restaurant.