If you do your weekly grocery rounds at Trader Joe’s or Wegmans, it might be time to check your fridge.
Grimmway Farms says some of their organic whole carrots and baby carrots that were sold at the grocery store chains may have been contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, or E. coli, according to a news release.
The carrot producers, headquartered in Bakersfield, California, voluntarily recalled the carrots after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that they may be associated with an outbreak.
Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) mostly affects children under 5 years old and the elderly, and can cause bloody diarrhea, severe stomach cramps and vomiting, according to the CDC. STEC is also the most common cause of hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can lead to kidney failure and even death.
E. coli usually spreads through animal or human feces and can then contaminate food and water.
The recalled carrots were shipped by Grimmway Farms to distribution centers in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, and sold under multiple different labels, including Trader Joe’s, Wegmans, Bunny-luv, Nature’s Promise, Simple Truth and 365. Grimmway Farms has shared pictures of all the labels in question for customer awareness.
The whole carrots that were recalled were sold in stores from Aug. 14 through Oct. 23, 2024, while the baby carrots have best-if-used-by-dates ranging from Sept. 11 to Nov. 12, 2024, Grimmway Farms said.
While they are no longer being sold in stores, Grimmway Farms is warning customers who may still have them in their fridges to throw them away.
“We take our role in ensuring the safety and quality of our products seriously,” Grimmway Farms President and CEO Jeff Huckaby said in a statement. “The health of our customers and the integrity of our products are our highest priorities, and we are conducting a thorough review of our growing, harvest, and processing practices.”
An E. coli outbreak reported last month was linked to slivered onions on McDonald’s Quarter Pounders and sickened at least 104, killing one. A total of 14 states were affected by the outbreak, including Colorado, Montana and Nebraska.
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