8 Washingtonians sickened in national E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots

November 17, 2024 / 5:42 pm

caption: Federal health officials say the current E. coli outbreak is linked to organic whole bagged carrots and baby carrots sold by Grimmway Farms.

A national outbreak of E. coli connected to organic carrots is hitting particularly hard in Washington state, where eight people have gotten sick — the most people affected in any single state.

As of Sunday, Nov. 17, a total of 39 cases had been reported in 18 states, according to federal health officials. One person in California died after contracting the illness.

The Washington cases include four in King County, two in Snohomish County, and one each in Pierce and Franklin counties, according to the Washington Department of Health. Five people were hospitalized.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday that cases emerged between Sept. 6 and Oct. 28 across 18 states, with Washington, Minnesota, and New York reporting the highest number of cases.

The CDC warned that the outbreak may have reached additional states and the actual number of infected individuals is likely much higher than reported.

"This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for E. coli.," the agency said in a statement.

Investigations indicate that Grimmway Farms was the common supplier of the organic carrots consumed by individuals before they got sick, according to the CDC. On Saturday, Grimmway Farms — which is one of the world's largest producers of carrots — initiated a recall for multiple sizes and brands of its organic baby and whole carrots.

That includes baby organic carrots with best-if-used-by dates that ranged from Sept. 11 to Nov. 12 and whole organic carrots that were sold in stores around Aug. 14 to Oct. 23.

caption: This map shows the locations of the 39 individuals reported sick by the current E. coli outbreak. The CDC said the true number of infected individuals is likely much higher.

The recall applies to carrots 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. A full list is available on the FDA website.

Grimmway Farms, based in Bakersfield, Calif., said the recalled items are likely no longer sold in grocery stores, but they may be in customers' refrigerators or freezers. The company urged that customers with recalled carrots should discard them and sanitize any surfaces they touched.

Grimmway Farms added that the implicated farms are out of production.

The CDC said E. coli infections can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, sepsis, and other illnesses. Symptoms usually show up three to four days after the bacteria is consumed. Most people recover on their own after five to seven days.

However, the infection can sometimes result in a serious health condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can lead to kidney failure, permanent health problems, and even death.

The Food and Drug Administration said the recalled products may have been contaminated with the Shiga toxin-producing type of E. coli. So far, of the 38 cases reviewed by the CDC, none have developed HUS.