ST PAUL, Minnesota — The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is warning people to get rid of any recalled organic carrots in their homes.
On Nov. 16, Grimmway Farms recalled multiple sizes and brands of bagged organic baby and whole carrots. While the products have likely been pulled from shelves, they could still be in people's refrigerators and freezers. Specific information on brands and sizes affected can be found, here.
Nationwide, at least 39 people have been infected by the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O121:H19 outbreak in 18 states.
Five Minnesotans, ages 15-44, became ill between Sept. 21 and Oct. 6. One person has been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. MDH said the illnesses were linked to eating organic carrots purchased from Costco, Target and HyVee and brands included Good and Gather, Bunny Luv and Cal-Organic. Minnesota is one of the states with the highest number of cases.
The news comes just three days after MDH sent out information on E. coli infections linked to burgers at Twin Cities restaurants. MDH said it had identified 10 cases of E. coli 0157 infection in people who had eaten burgers at multiple locations of Red Cow and one case from Hen House Eatery. The ground beef was also distributed to other places so more cases could be identified. Those sickened by the burgers had their meals between Oct. 31 through Nov. 7.
Symptoms typically include stomach cramps and diarrhea, often with bloody stools, and a low-grade fever or no fever.
"That investigation is very much ongoing. We're in the very, very early stages of the outbreak and it is, in a way, kind of unusual for us to go public so quickly because there are a lot of things that still haven't been sorted out," said Carlota Medus, MDH epidemiologist supervisor of the foodborne diseases unit.
Between these two cases and other recent news, it seems E. coli and other foodborne illness outbreaks keep popping up in the news. But Medus said, "It's pretty average. A pretty typical year."
According to MDH data, year to date in 2024 there have been 84 cases of E. coli 0157 (the strain linked to the ground beef illnesses). That's compared to 86 year to date in 2023. However, it is higher than 2021's 69 cases and the 62 in 2022.
MDH said they just happen to be dealing with two high-profile cases at the same time where there's a call to action.
"We have a lot of outbreaks in Minnesota and all over the country. We investigate an awful lot of outbreaks and the majority of them, we can actually put interventions in place so quickly that we basically end the risk to the public. So when we go public, it's because we want the public to do something," Medus said.
When it comes to the E. coli infections linked to ground beef, Medus said, "We wanted to do public notification because if you are getting sick about now or very recently, you could still reach out to your health care provider and your health care provider can decide if you need additional care."
She went on to say, "That investigation is still ongoing. So if you're eating at a table service restaurant and you're going to eat a hamburger, ask for it well done until we have more answers."
Regarding the E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots, Medus is urging people to check their refrigerators and freezers for any recalled carrots and throw them away.
Medus recommends avoiding any cross-contamination while cooking at home. MDH is also warning people as norovirus season begins to help prevent illness by washing hands and not preparing food for others while sick.