One Los Angeles County senior has died amid a national recall on carrots found to be contaminated with E. coli.
Two additional local cases are under investigation, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Across the U.S., at least 39 people were sickened, and 18 people were hospitalized in 15 states as of Sunday.
The affected products — whole bagged carrots and baby carrots grown in Bakersfield and sold by Grimmway Farms in a wide variety of grocery stores — are no longer on shelves, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement.
However, the carrots were on shelves from mid-August through late October, so consumers should check their refrigerators and throw out or return any carrots which could be contaminated.
The brands of carrots suspected of being contaminated are 365, Bunny Luv, Cal-Organic, Compliments, Full Circle, Good & Gather, GreenWise, Grimmway Farms, Marketside, Nature’s Promise, O-Organic, President’s Choice, Raley’s, Simple Truth, Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans and Wholesome Pantry, according to the CDC.
There have been several E. coli outbreaks in recent months. In October, more than 100 McDonald’s customers were sickened by an E. coli outbreak in the U.S. linked to slivered onions. In the United Kingdom, one person died in June in an outbreak linked to lettuce that sickened at least 275 people. Organic walnuts sickened consumers in 19 states in April.
E. coli bacteria cause infections that are especially dangerous in young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems. Symptoms typically appear three to four days after exposure and include “severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, nausea, and/or vomiting,” according to the Food and Drug Administration.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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