E. Coli Infection Linked to Carrots

(Reuters) – One person has died and at least 39 others have been made ill due to E. coli infections linked to fresh carrots sold by several large grocery retailers across 18 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday.

The CDC stated that the infections are associated with whole bagged carrots and baby carrots sold by Grimmway Farms in California. Retailers including Walmart (NYSE:WMT), Target (NYSE:TGT), Kroger (NYSE:KR), Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's carry the carrots under various brand names.

While the CDC believes the carrots are unlikely still to be found on store shelves, they may still be present in consumers' homes and should be discarded.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on Saturday that Grimmway Farms had issued a voluntary recall of the carrots, which had also been shipped to stores in Canada and Puerto Rico.

The recalled whole carrots have best-if-used-by dates ranging from August 14 to October 23, whereas the recalled baby carrots have dates from September 11 to November 12.

Grimmway Farms, headquartered in Bakersfield, California, stated in a press release that the company is reviewing its growing, harvesting, and processing practices. They are also collaborating with suppliers and health authorities regarding the situation.

According to media sources, the family-owned company was sold to the private equity firm Teays River Investments in 2020.