Four Poisoned by Botulism in Carrot Juice

[yeahright]

Updated:2006-10-06 18:42:17
Four Poisoned by Botulism in Carrot Juice
AP
TAMPA, Fla. (Oct. 6) - Investigators believe botulism toxin from bottled carrot juice paralyzed a woman, the fourth person thought to be poisoned by bacteria in the drink.

The unidentified woman is unresponsive and has been hospitalized since mid-September, said Jylmarie Kintz, epidemiologist for the Hillsborough County Health Department.

Three people in Georgia also became ill after drinking the bottled juice made by Bolthouse Farms, according to the Food and Drug Administration. In a dispatch issued Friday, the Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the three were from Washington County, Ga., and shared a meal, which included carrot juice on the evening of Sept. 7. The CDC said the three experienced respiratory failure and remain hospitalized on ventilators.

The FDA said the victims may have improperly handled the juice after purchase. Fresh carrot juice is low in acid, which means it must be kept refrigerated to prevent the growth of bacteria. The FDA is investigating other possible causes and has issued a warning to consumers not to drink Bolthouse Carrot Juice with a use-by date of Nov. 11 or earlier.

The CDC dispatch said the juice consumed by the three Georgia victims on Sept. 7 had a "best used by" date of Sept. 18 and tested positive for botulism. The juice consumed by the Florida woman on Sept. 16 had a "best used by" date of Sept. 19. The bottle also tested positive for botulism.

The Georgia and Florida bottles were from different lots, the CDC said.

Bolthouse Farms of Bakersfield, Calif., issued a voluntary recall for the juice last week. The juice as distributed in every state and in Mexico, Canada and Hong Kong with the labels "Bolt House Farms 100% Carrot Juice," "Earthbound Farm Organic Carrot Juice," and "President's Choice Organics 100% Pure Carrot Juice."

Tim Warner, a Washington-based public relations representative for Bolthouse Farms referred consumers to Bolthouse Farms' company Web site for additional information about the recall.

Warner said all of the company's other products remain available to consumers. He encouraged consumers to refrigerate all perishable products.

Botulism poisoning symptoms include double vision, droopy eyelids, trouble speaking or swallowing and paralysis on both sides of the body that progresses from the neck down.

[Rivet]

Botulism is scary! I was reading that 1lb of that could kill every human on the planet....

[yeahright]

Botulism is scary! I was reading that 1lb of that could kill every human on the planet....

Yeah, just posted this in case anyone had any of this sitting in their fridge. Throw it out, don't take the chance.

[NO HYPE]

Yeah, just posted this in case anyone had any of this sitting in their fridge. Throw it out, don't take the chance.

Yes.

Besides, it makes so much more sense to use a juicer. Most people who buy carrot juice, are doing so from a health standpoint anyways.

Store-bought juice is lacking the beneficial microbial flora that juicing provides.

[2fresh]

Does this sudden trend of more nutriant rich or beneficial food being recalled put a big discomfort towards people buying it..Making them shy away from health foods?

[yeahright]

Does this sudden trend of more nutriant rich or beneficial food being recalled put a big discomfort towards people buying it..Making them shy away from health foods?

No me but I'm sure it does for others. There is something ironic about getting killed by healthfood (spinach for goodness sakes)....but these products are part of a very long supply chain from the field to your local supermarket and there are a lot of places along the way where things can go wrong. Put in place good savfety regulations, enforce them, monitor energency rooms for outbreaks, and then recall bad products ASAP is probably the best that can be done. The latest reports indicate that the deadly sponach came from a company that was skipping safety protocols.