Don’t Eat Raw Sprouts, FDA and CDC Warn

The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are telling consumers to avoid eating raw alfalfa sprouts until further notice due to concerns that the foods may be contaminated with salmonella bacteria.

All brands of sprouts, including mixes and blends containing various varieties, are subject to the warnings. Officials suspect that contaminated alfalfa seeds sold across the United States are to blame for the contamination.

The latest warning is an extension of a series of recalls of sprouts issued in early 2009, when an outbreak of salmonella cases were reported in Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, and Minnesota.

Reports of salmonella linked to tainted sprouts started in March. To date, 31 illnesses have been associated with contaminated sprouts in Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, and West Virginia. Some people have been sickened by eating raw sprouts in salads or on sandwiches in restaurants, while others have been exposed at home after buying sprouts in grocery stores, officials said.

Children, the elderly, and people who have weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to severe illness from salmonella, which can cause food poisoning resulting in abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and other symptoms.

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