Botulism linked to carrot juice gets FDA to act

Two years ago six people were diagnosed with botulism poisoning in Florida and Ontario, Canada.

Investigations led researchers to determine that improper refrigeration of bottled carrot juice led to the instances of this potentially fatal food-borne illness.

A year after the cases were first reported, more than half of the patients were still being treated, two of whom remained on ventilators.

Carrot juice, by nature, has a very low acidity, and a report appearing in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases said the Food and Drug Administration should mandate additives to low-acid juices, like carrot.

The low acidity prevents the juice from developing natural barriers to the C. botulinium bacteria, and the environment for it to spread is heightened when the juice isn’t properly refrigerated. The report was published by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control.

In June 2007, the FDA acted on this issue, based almost wholly in part as a response to the botulism cases two years ago.

The FDA now recommends low-acid juices add a juice-treatment method, according to Reuters. These processes could include acidification or thermal treatment.