Summary
An E. coli outbreak linked to bagged organic carrots from Grimmway Farms has infected 39 people across 18 states, with 15 hospitalized and one death reported.
The recalled carrots, sold under brands like Trader Joe’s, Wegmans, and 365, are no longer in stores, but the CDC urges consumers to check for and discard any remaining stock.
E. coli infections, which cause severe stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea, and vomiting, can be life-threatening for vulnerable groups.
Recent outbreaks have also been tied to onions, lettuce, and walnuts.
“Well, they were organic alright. All natural shit fertilizer.”
Doesn’t work that way. Even if the fields were fertilized with manure, they are done so long before planting - it’s literally in the National Organic Program regulations that certified organic farms are required to follow. It’s also just common practice anyway. Because duh, root vegetables.
The main and pretty much only source of contamination is in the harvesting, processing, and handling. Not just people but equipment like conveyor belts. For example, “baby carrots” are almost never grown small but big carrots cut up by machines, which -no surprise- are easily contaminated.