4Earth Farms, a food supplier based in California, announced that it recalled a variety of Vegetable Medleys due to a potential E. coli contamination. Specifically, E. coli in carrots used in different vegetable medley packages and a carrots package.
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It made this announcement based on the cucumber salmonella outbreak incident just a week prior. SunFed Produce recalled its cucumbers in 26 states and five Canadian provinces over salmonella concerns.
An Abundance Of E. Coli Concerns
The food supplier made this decision mainly due to information that Grimmway Farms Inc. gave to 4Earth Farms. It notified the food supplier about possible E. coli contaminations with carrots used in its packaged products, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
In mid-November, Grimmway Farms had to issue an urgent recall for carrots after this E. coli outbreak killed one consumer and injured many others.
These three brands were Organic Vegetable Medley, Conventional Vegetable Medley, and Organic Whole Carrots. Based on an "abundance of caution" and the information from Grimmway Farms, 4Earth Farms decided to act swiftly and issue a recall.
The food supplier sent out these recalled products to seven different states: California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania. Also, customers can identify the best-buy dates from September 7 to November 2.
These products have already expired by a month. Still, you should check your kitchen for any of these brands you may have purchased with these best-before dates.
E. Coli is a serious issue. It's a "bacterium that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, elderly people, and those with a weakened immune system," as the FDA explained in its statement.
This bacterium can lead to a myriad of conditions such as "severe bloody diarrhea conditions, such as a hemolytic uremic syndrome, or the development of high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, and neurologic problems."
Otherwise, the major symptoms of an E. coli infection can include "severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, nausea, and/or vomiting."
So far, 4Earth Farms hasn't received any illness reports based on these recalled Vegetable Medleys and carrot products.
Besides the recent cucumber salmonella outbreak, these haven't been the only incidents as of late regarding food recalls. E. coli was also discovered in packages of ground meat from Wolverine Packing Co. in late November.
If you believe you may have consumed carrots from these recalled packages, get in contact with your main healthcare provider. According to the FDA's statement, the incubation period of E. coli can range from 24 hours to 10 days.
