...but we did. Just over a month ago, predicting the next food epidemic, I put the odds of a salmonella outbreak coming from sprouts at 3-1. Only the strawberry odds were higher. (Really any berry is a danger and give them time -- most don't come into season for another two months.) What makes sprouts the plant equivalent of a time bomb is their high moisture content and quick spoilage.
Sprouts have been the cause of salmonella before, and this time it's hitting close to home. Five people from Northeast Kansas, including Lawrence, have come down with a strain of the disease. This strain is different from the one in peanut butter, and as of last week officials were discussing a possible link with Nebraska's Sunsprout Enterprises, owned by CW Sprouts.
In Nebraska and Iowa, 27 people have fallen ill. According to an Omaha news-station, "90 percent of the people who got sick
ate alfalfa sprouts... only 5-10 percent of the population actually eats them."
The FDA released a statement
saying that Sunsprouts "were distributed to food distributors located
in Iowa and
Nebraska who further sell the product to restaurants and retail
stores." It's a pain to track down these middlemen who can ship the
sprouts anywhere.
To be on the safe side, don't eat raw sprouts. Cook them first. The BarfBlog has a great commentary on raw sprouts and how "pathogens have been shown to attach and
survive within the layers of the sprout, making washing virtually
useless."
It also links to this 2002 FDA study that basically says no matter what
you do, raw sprouts are dangerous. Yet raw sprouts also taste the best.
Comments (0)