With many recalls, a specific food product from a particular source is removed from shelves due to a relatively isolated case of contamination. With raw sprouts, the issue seems much more complex.
The FDA has deemed the recent Salmonella outbreaks in sprouts widespread and serious enough to advise against consuming ANY raw alfalfa sprouts (including sprout blends that contain alfalfa sprouts) indefinitely. Until the source of the Salmonella contamination can be determined, eating any raw alfalfa sprouts presents an unwarranted risk.
Salmonella poisoning (or salmonellosis) is caused by a bacteria that creates symptoms such as fever, bloody diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and abdominal distress; it is particularly dangerous to the young, elderly, pregnant, and immunocompromised, and can lead to meningitis and other serious conditions.
Several specific sprouts recalls due to potential Salmonella contamination appear to have a common source, possibly going back to batches of contaminated seeds. The FDA encourages sprouts producers and handlers to follow rigorous preventive measures, such as the antimicrobial treatment of seeds, to reduce the risk of spreading Salmonella and other pathogens, such as Listeria and the deadly E. coli O157:H7. Unfortunately, not everyone abides by these recommended guidelines, and sprouts have become a common carrier of food borne contaminants.
Alfred Almanza of the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service recently commented on the need for a risk ranking system to help officials determine which food products should be most closely monitored for problems with food borne contamination. Although sprouts fall under the supervision of the FDA rather than the USDA, one can’t help but wonder if their noxious history of contamination and recalls might drive raw sprouts to the top of such a list.
Richard J. Arsenault, 2011
