Alfalfa Sprouts Under Investigation For Salmonella And E. Coli Formally Recalled

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Last week, we brought you the news that there were two unrelated investigations into bean sprout producers, but no recalls yet. Maybe, we thought, it’s time to put warning labels on sprouts served raw in sandwich shops and salad bars, telling people to eat at their own risk. Now the sprouts involved in both incidents have been formally recalled.

Salmonella were was found in the water and some sprout samples taken from Sweetwater Farms in Kansas, giving the company and health authorities information about which lot and type of sprouts to recall. They were alfalfa sprouts (the type seen growing in the picture on this article) and they’ve been linked to 13 illnesses in 4 states.

Over at Jack and the Green Sprouts in Wisconsin, they still aren’t sure which products may be contaminated with E. coli, but do know that illnesses were linked to the company’s alfalfa sprouts. The company has put out a recall notice for alfalfa and alfalfa onion sprouts, but it contains confusing statements like this:

Health officials recommend not eating any alfalfa sprouts produced by Jack & The Green Sprouts. Currently, there is no evidence that any products produced by Jack & The Green Sprouts are contaminated.

That simply means that they haven’t found an uneaten sprout that’s contaminated with bacteria, but officials still want consumers to use caution and avoid products that have been linked to illnesses. The FDA takes it a little further if you’re in a group of people that can be vulnerable to foodborne illnesses: they warn that young children, the elderly, people with compromised immune systems, and pregnant women should avoid sprouts altogether.

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist