Grimmway Farms is the California-based produce company involved in an ongoing carrot recall tied to a nationwide E. Coli outbreak.
A California-based produce company is at the center of an ongoing recall after the grower announced that its organic whole and baby carrots may have been contaminated with E. coli.
Grimmway Farms, which claims to be a “global produce leader and one of the largest producers of carrots,” launched the recall Saturday, according to a news release shared by the Bakersfield-headquartered company.
The carrots “should no longer be in supermarkets, but may be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers,” the company said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the multi-state E. coli outbreak is linked to select carrots from Grimmway Farms, the agency said in a statement. According to the CDC, one person has died, 15 have been hospitalized and 39 illnesses have been reported in connection with the outbreak.
“We take our role in ensuring the safety and quality of our products seriously,” Jeff Huckaby, president and CEO of Grimmway Farms, said in the news release. “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, harvesting and processing practices. Our food safety team is working with our suppliers and health authorities.”
Here’s what you need to know about Grimmway Farms and the recall.
What is Grimmway Farms?
Grimmway Farms says on its website that the company was founded in the 1960s by the Brothers Grimm, who opened a roadside stand in Anaheim, California, selling corn to the local community.
In 1969, Rod and Bob Grimm formed their partnership and began doing business as Grimmway Farms, according to the company biography. In 1990, the baby carrot’s popularity disrupted the produce industry and became trendy for consumers looking for value-added vegetables and healthy snacks, the grower said. From 1991 to 2001, the biography states, Grimmway Farms acquired several brands to expand its carrot and production empire.
With additional processing facilities now in Washington and Georgia, Grimmway Farms will produce more than 135 seasonal and year-round products distributed worldwide beginning in 2023, the grower said. All of the company’s products are now grown in the U.S. and distributed to distribution centers, not directly to stores, Dana Brennan, Grimmway’s vice president of external affairs and corporate responsibility, told USA TODAY in 2021.
The company has issued recalls before, most recently in 2021, when select carrot products may have been contaminated with salmonella. According to the Food and Drug Administration, no illnesses were reported during this recall.
“The recall was initiated as a result of a routine, internal company test,” Huckaby said in July 2021. “The health of our customers and the integrity of our products are our highest priorities, and we will continue to monitor and communicate as additional information becomes available .”
Which Grimmway Farms carrots are being recalled?
Although affected Grimmway Farms organic baby and whole carrots are likely no longer sold in stores, they could still be in people’s homes and refrigerators.
According to the Grimmway Farms release, the recalled products were shipped directly to nationwide distribution centers in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada. The affected products include:
- Organic whole carrots without an expiration date on the bag, but were available in stores from August 14 to October 23.
- Organic baby carrots with an expiration date of September 11 to November 12.
The recalled Grimmway Farms carrot brands include:
- 365: Bag sizes of 1 lb, 2 lb, 5 lb (whole carrots) and 12 oz, 1 lb, 2 lb (baby carrots)
- Bunny Luv: 1 lb, 2 lb, 5 lb, 10 lb, 25 lb (whole carrots) and 1 lb, 2 lb, 3 lb, 5 lb (baby carrots)
- Cal-Organic: 1 lb, 2 lb, 5 lb, 6 lb, 10 lb, 25 lb (whole carrots) and 12 oz, 1 lb, 2 lb, 2 pk/2 lb (baby carrots)
- Compliments: 2 pounds (whole carrots) and 1 pound (baby carrots)
- Full circle: 1 lb, 2 lb, 5 lb (whole carrots), and 1 lb (baby carrots)
- Good & collect: 2 lb (whole carrots) and 12 oz, 1 lb (baby carrots)
- GroenWijs: 1 lb, 25 lb (whole carrots), and 1 lb (baby carrots)
- Grimmway Farms: 25 lb bag (baby carrots)
- Market side: 2 lb (whole carrots) and 12 oz, 1 lb, 2 lb (baby carrots)
- The promise of nature: 1 lb, 5 lb (whole carrots), and 1 lb (baby carrots)
- O-Organic substances: 1 lb, 2 lb, 5 lb, 10 lb (whole carrots) and 12 oz, 1 lb, 2 lb (baby carrots)
- President’s choice: 2 lb (whole carrots) and 1 lb, 2 lb (baby carrots)
- Raley’s: 1 pound (baby carrots)
- Simple truth: 1 lb, 2 lb, 5 lb (whole carrots) and 1 lb, 2 lb (baby carrots)
- Trader Joe’s: 1 pound (whole carrots) and 1 pound (baby carrots)
- Wegmans: 1 lb, 2 lb, 5 lb (whole carrots) and 12 oz, 1 lb, 2 lb (baby carrots)
- Healthy pantry: 1 lb, 2 lb, 5 lb (whole carrots) and 1 lb, 2 lb (baby carrots)
What type of E. coli was found in Grimmway Farms carrots?
The recalled Grimmway Farms products may be contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, a bacteria that “can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems,” the CDC said. and California-based grower.
“Some infections can cause severe bloody diarrhea, such as hemolytic uremic syndrome, or the development of high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease and neurological problems,” the CDC said.
Symptoms of E. coli infections include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, nausea and/or vomiting, the agency said. The incubation period for E. coli in humans ranges from 24 hours to as long as 10 days, with the average incubation period being three to four days, according to the CDC.
Grimmway Farms said it has notified customers who received the affected carrots directly from them and asked distributors to notify them of the recalled products. The affected farms are out of production and none of the recalled carrots have tested positive for E. coli, according to the company.
