Carrots and Botulism

Posted by Judy Arbique Oct 3, 2006

What the heck is going on? We’ve got people getting sick from eating healthy food! E. coli 0157 infection from fresh spinach, and now botulism from carrot juice!!

CBC News reported yesterday that the Canada Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) (insert site) has issued a warning on certain brands of carrot juice (both pasteurized and unpasteurized) that may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria responsible for botulism.

Three brands of pasteurized carrot juice produced by Wm. Bolthouse Farms are being recalled – Earthbound Farm Organic Carrot Juice, Bolthouse 100% Carrot Juide, and President’s Choice Organics 100% Pure Carrot Juice.

The CFIA warning followed a report by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that 4 cases of botulinum poisoning were reported in Georgia, possibly a result of the product not being refrigerated properly after purchase. According to CFIA, the Georgia Health Authority believes that the 3 cases seen there represent an isolated incident, because other community members consumed and purchased the same product from the same vendor did not develop symptoms. Based on the community history, Health Officials believe that the product did not contain botulinum toxin when it was purchased. The cases are believed to be a cause of inadequate refrigeration purchase.

However, it must have contained the bacteria (C. botulinum) that produces the toxin (botulinum toxin) that causes botulism. Why do I suddenly feel that I’m caught in a round? C. botulinum is an organism that is naturally found in the environment, especially on plants grown in soil, although botulism is not common – an average of only 24 cases are reported each year in the U.S. Had the carrot juice been refrigerated promptly after purchase, it likely would not have caused a problem, because the botulinum bacteria has to be actively growing in the product to produce the toxin that causes botulinum. Consumption of the bacteria itself will not result in illness – the organism has to have time to grow in the product and produce toxin.

Ensure that you store products as to the producer’s directions! The area you purchase a product from should be a clue as to how it should be stored after you purchase it – who would think of storing ice-cream purchased from the store’s freezer section on the counter at room temperature? Do we store milk purchased from the refrigeration section at room temperature? If the carrot juice was purchased from the refrigeration section, then following purchase it should also be stored in the refrigerator.

I have a new mantra to add to “WASH YOUR HANDS!” This one is just as important, if not more so – “REFRIGERATE FOODS ONCE OPENED!” This is especially important with Thanksgiving coming up this weekend in Canada, and a few more weeks down the road in the U.S. Get that turkey and gravy in the refrigerator as soon as possible after dinner. I have included stripping the turkey carcus a part of the Thanksgiving tradition - I encourage you to do the same!

I’ll dedicate an upcoming article to foodborne botulism. Enjoy your turkey!