E. coli 'Abundant' in Carrots from Mart... 1 Death and 39 Food Poisoning Cases in the US

Voluntary Recall Initiated by Company in Response to Incident
E. coli Detected at McDonald's Last Month as Well

In the United States, carrots contaminated with E. coli were distributed across 18 states, resulting in one death and dozens of hospitalizations. On the 18th (local time), CNN and other foreign media reported that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that carrots and baby carrots contaminated with the enterohemorrhagic E. coli bacteria were distributed through large grocery stores in 18 states. Among consumers who ingested these carrots, one person has died and at least 39 have been reported to suffer from food poisoning.

The problematic carrots were identified as products from Grimmway Farms, headquartered in California. These packaged carrots and some mini carrot products were distributed through major grocery chains such as Walmart, Target, Kroger, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's. Grimmway Farms

The problematic carrots were identified as products from Grimmway Farms, headquartered in California. These included packaged carrots and baby carrots distributed through major grocery chains such as Walmart, Target, Kroger, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's. Grimmway Farms has initiated a voluntary recall in response to the incident. The recall covers regular carrots with expiration dates from August 14 to October 23, and baby carrots with expiration dates from September 11 to November 12. The CDC stated, "It is unlikely that contaminated carrots are still in circulation," but urged, "If you have any at home, please discard them all."

E. coli infections typically occur after consuming contaminated food. Symptoms include severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody stools, vomiting, fever, and dehydration. Symptoms generally appear within 2 to 5 days after ingestion of contaminated food. Most patients recover within 5 to 7 days without treatment. However, some severe cases can lead to kidney complications.

Infections mainly occurred in New York, Minnesota, and Washington, with cases reported nationwide. The states reporting cases include Washington, Oregon, California, Wyoming, Colorado, Texas, Minnesota, Missouri, Arkansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.

Previously, last month in the U.S., a large-scale food poisoning incident occurred due to onions contaminated with E. coli used in McDonald's hamburgers. More than 100 people suffered from food poisoning after consuming the contaminated hamburgers, with one death and 49 hospitalizations. The E. coli detected in the hamburgers was linked to raw onions.