Alfalfa Sprouts Contaminated By Salmonella

Posted on April 21, 2009 in Recalls

Raw alfalfa sprouts and sprout blends including alfalfa products may be contaminated with Salmonella serotype Saintpaul, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Sunday. The FDA is urging the public to not eat the vegetable after an investigation showed that salmonella may be linked to the seeds of alfalfa sprouts.

Michegan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah and West Virginia have reported 31 cases of illness related to the outbreak, most attributed to raw alfalfa sprouts. However, contaminated seeds may be sold around the country. Alfalfa sprouts served in restaurants and sold at the retail level are affected, the FDA said.

The first reports of illness occurred in mid-March. Cases are still being reported, although the number of infected people may be higher than expected because some illnesses have not yet been confirmed by laboratory testing.

An initial investigation traced the salmonella outbreak to sprout growers in several different states. Sprout growers may not be appropriately following the FDA Sprout Guidance issued in 1999, which cautions to disinfect seeds and regularly test the water used for every batch of sprouts for salmonella and E coli contamination.

The outbreak appears to be an extension of an earlier outbreak in the year that resulted in a recall of alfalfa sprouts in Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas and Minnesota. In these cases, the outbreak strain was indistinguishable from the most recently reported cases.