The FDA Is Recalling Organic Whole and Baby Carrots Linked to a Multi-State E. Coli Outbreak

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is recalling several brands of organic whole carrots and organic baby carrots after it was discovered they were contaminated with “Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli,” otherwise known as E. Coli. 

On Saturday, November 16, Grimmway Farms issued the recall of its products. Importantly, the company and the FDA noted in the recall that the carrots “should no longer be in grocery stores but may be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers.” 

It added that these products may be contaminated with E. coli, a “bacterium that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, elderly people, and those with a weakened immune system.” Symptoms of an E. coli infection, the FDA explained, can include “severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, nausea, and/or vomiting.” Usually, symptoms present between 24 hours and up to 10 days after infection.

The recalled products were shipped to retail distribution centers across the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada and include the following, per the FDA: 

• Organic whole carrots, which do not have a best-if-used-by date printed on the bag, but were available for purchase at retail stores from August 14 through October 23, 2024.
• Organic baby carrots with best-if-used-by-dates ranging from September 11 through November 12, 2024. The recalled carrots should not be available for purchase in stores but may be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers.

The carrots were sold under several brand names, including 365, Bunny Luv, Cal-Organic, Compliments, Full Circle, Good & Gather, GreenWise, Grimmway Farms, Marketside, Nature’s Promise, O Organics, President’s Choice, Raley’s, Nature’s Promise, Simple Truth, Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans, and Wholesome Pantry. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the carrots may be the root cause of a multi-state E. coli outbreak, sickening 39 people across 18 states, hospitalizing 15 people, and causing one death in California. 

The FDA reiterated that the carrots should no longer be in stores; however, if you have them in your fridge or freezer, they should not be consumed. Instead, the FDA noted they should be “destroyed or discarded so they cannot be consumed. If you have these products in your home, do not eat or use them, throw them away, and clean and sanitize surfaces they touched.”

It added that any consumers who are concerned they may have come in contact with the carrots and are ill should contact a medical professional immediately.