An E.coli outbreak at a California carrot company that has caused at least one death is sparking fresh concern about contamination stemming from factory farming.
The company, Grimmway Farms, has issued a voluntary recall of their products. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and health officials in multiple states are investigating the outbreak after infections were linked to multiple brands of carrots sold by the farm. They have recorded 39 cases across 18 states.
The Environmental Working Groups says they identified carrot fields near livestock facilities following the recall.
Scott Faber, senior vice president of government affairs at the Environmental Working Group, said, “It’s too soon to tell how these particular carrots were contaminated, but our analysis shows that many of the carrot fields in Kern County [California] are not only close to factory farms but share the same irrigation canals as factory farms.”
