Federal health officials say the current E. coli outbreak is linked to whole-bagged organic carrots and baby carrots sold by Grimmway Farms.

Mychele Daniau/AFP via Getty Images

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Mychele Daniau/AFP via Getty Images

One person has died and at least 38 people have been sickened after an E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots, according to federal health officials.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday that cases occurred between September 6 and October 28 in 18 states, with Washington, Minnesota and New York reporting the highest number of cases.

The CDC warned that the outbreak may have reached additional states and that the actual number of infected people is likely much higher than reported.

This map shows the locations of the 39 individuals reported sick from the current E. coli outbreak. The CDC said the actual number of infected people is likely much higher.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

“This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for E. coli,” the agency said in a statement.

Research shows that Grimmway Farms was the common supplier of the organic carrots that people consumed before they became ill, according to the CDC. On Saturday, Grimmway Farms – one of the largest producers of carrots in the world – initiated a recall on multiple sizes and brands of its organic baby and whole carrots.

That includes organic baby carrots with expiration dates that ranged from September 11 to November 12 and whole organic carrots sold in stores around August 14 to October 23.

The recall applies to carrots sold at Trader Joe’s, Wegmans, Sprouts, Whole Foods’ 365, Target’s Good & Gather, Walmart’s Marketside, Publix’s GreenWise, Kroger’s Simple Truth and more. A complete list is available on the FDA website.

Grimmway Farms, based in Bakersfield, California, said the recalled items are likely no longer sold in grocery stores but may be in customers’ refrigerators or freezers. The company urged customers with recalled carrots to throw them away and disinfect any surfaces they touched.

Grimmway Farms added that the affected farms are out of production.

The CDC said E. coli infections can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, sepsis and other illnesses. Symptoms usually appear three to four days after the bacteria is consumed. Most people recover naturally after five to seven days.

However, the infection can sometimes result in a serious health condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can lead to kidney failure, permanent health problems, and even death.

The Food and Drug Administration said the recalled products may be contaminated with the Shiga toxin-producing type E. coli. So far, of the 38 cases reviewed by the CDC, none have developed HUS.