Salmonella Saintpaul Sprouts In . . . Sprouts
As a result of an ongoing Salmonella outbreak being investigated by the CDC and FDA, the FDA has warned consumers to avoid eating raw alfalfa sprouts until further notice.
To date, 31 cases of illnesses with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Saintpaul have been confirmed in Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah and West Virginia. In turn, most of the individuals who became ill reported eating raw alfalfa sprouts. While some cases reported eating raw sprouts at restaurants, others reported purchasing raw sprouts at the retail level. According to the FDA, the outbreak appears to be an extension of an earlier outbreak in February and March (which involved cases Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, and Minnesota). Click on the following link to view the FDA Alfalfa Sprout Notice.
Interestingly, the ongoing investigation has indicated that the Salmonella contamination in harvested sprouts may be may have originated from contaminated alfalfa sprout seeds. Thus, because suspected seed lots have been sold and grown throughout the country, and because washing the harvested products will likely not help, the FDA and CDC have warned consumers not to eat any raw sprouts from any source until further notice.
According to the FDA, governmental investigators are working closely with the alfalfa sprout industry to identify which alfalfa seeds and sprouts are not affected, so that the current advisory can be refined as quickly as possible.
