Several Vegetable Medleys Have Been Recalled Over Possible E. Coli Contamination

After the recent E. coli scares from tainted carrots, which have caused at least one death, as well as McDonald's Quarter Pounder cheeseburgers, the FDA also issued a recall on December 2 for fresh bagged vegetable mixes and bagged carrots from manufacturer 4Earth Farms. The manufacturer's carrot supplier, Grimmway Farms, notified 4Earth farms of possible E. coli contamination in its carrots, which prompted the recall. 

4Earth Farms sold the vegetable medleys under its own brand name for O.K. Produce and Sprouts Farmers Market, as well as under Wild Harvest at Albert's Organics and UNFI, Marketside for Walmart, and Grimmway for Kennedy Produce (the full list of recalled UPCs, as well as product images, can be found on the FDA website).

The states where the products were shipped include California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania; however, these vegetable medleys are at least a month past their best-by dates, which range from Sept. 7, 2024, through November 2, 2024, so they should no longer be on store shelves. Consumers should nonetheless check their refrigerators and freezers for any offending bags and immediately throw them out, as well as disinfect any surfaces they might have touched (and wash your hands after disposing of the bags).

While no one yet has reported illness due to this 4Earth E. coli recall, if you have eaten these potentially contaminated vegetables (the incubation period for this bacteria can range anywhere from one day to 10 days), be on the lookout for symptoms that mimic the flu, such as fever, nausea, and vomiting. E. coli infection can also cause gastrointestinal distress like diarrhea and stomach cramps. Older adults, people who are immunocompromised, and families with young children should take special care to monitor their health during the prescribed incubation period if they consumed these vegetables, and seek medical care when necessary.

If it seems like food recalls are on the rise in 2024, it is no doubt because they are, following a trend that has been monitored from 2020 until 2023. However grateful we should be for pathogen-detecting technology in the food service industry, the fact remains that foodborne illness, including the E. coli strain O121:H19 which may have possibly contaminated these sold vegetable medleys, is a serious matter, as it can prove fatal among certain groups and cause significant illness even in healthy individuals.