Carrots (Daucus carota) are root vegetables in the Apiaceae family, which also includes celery, parsnip, parsley, dill, caraway, anise, coriander, and fennel.
In 2012, the U.S. was the 3rd largest producer of carrots. Approximately 80-90% of U.S. carrots are grown in California. Other major producers include Michigan and Texas.
The introduction of fresh cut and ‘baby carrots’ caused an upsurge in the popularity of carrots in the late 1980s.
Carrots are high in beta-carotene, Vitamins C and K, potassium, and dietary fiber.
Carrots are popular as a cooking vegetable, salad item, snack food, and raw vegetable.
Like most vegetables, carrots are low-acid and therefore at higher risk of contamination with the botulinum toxin, produced by the spore-forming bacterium Clostridium botulinum, when canned improperly. There have been several botulism outbreaks associated with both commercial and homemade carrot juice as well as home-canned carrots.
Between 2000 and 2020, at least 35 carrot-associated outbreaks were reported to CDC’s National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS), causing 1,322 illnesses, 44 hospitalizations, and 1 death.
The most recent carrot-related recalled occurred in 2018 due to possible contamination of Salmonella. The recall has ended.
In outbreaks with known etiology, the most commonly implicated pathogen was norovirus but have also included Bacillus cereus, Salmonella, sapovirus, Clostridium botulinum, Shigella, and Staphylococcus aureus.
