FDA Warns: Beware of Sprouts, Again
More sprouts, those tiny greens we find piled high on our sandwiches or combined into our salads, are being recalled due to fears the vegetables are carrying a potentially deadly strain of Listeria bacteria.
Chang Farm of River Road, Whatley, Mass. has issued a voluntary recall of its Soy Bean Sprouts with a sell-by date of July 17, 2009. The sprouts were sold in 10-pound bulk bags and 12-oz retail bags and distributed to retail stores and food wholesalers in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, the Food and Drug Administration said.
There have been no illnesses reported from eating contaminated Chang Farm sprouts, but samples of the products confirmed they contained Listeria Monocytogenes, an organism that can result in food poisoning in children, frail and elderly, and people with weakened immune systems. In healthy individuals, Listeria poisoning most often results in short-term fever, severe headaches, stiffness, nausea, and abdominal pain and diarrhea. Pregnant women may suffer miscarriage and stillbirth if exposed to Listeria bacteria.
Retail stores and food wholesale outlets that have the recalled Chang Farm sprouts in their inventory are advised to remove them from their shelves. Consumers should discard this product or return them to the place of purchase for a full refund, the FDA said.
Other Contaminated Sprouts Warnings
In April, Specialty Farms, Vermont Sprout House, Nature’s Promise, and BroccoSprouts brands of alfalfa sprouts were recalled due to concerns about Listeria bacteria contamination. The products were sold in four- and eight-ounce packages throughout New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.
That warning followed an earlier safety alert about all brands of sprouts, including mixes and blends containing various varieties. The FDA said then that contaminated alfalfa seeds sold across the United States were to blame for the contamination.
A series of sprouts recalls were issued in early 2009 after an outbreak of salmonella cases were reported in Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, and Minnesota. Salmonella is another form of bacteria that can lead to severe, even deadly food poisoning.
At least 31 salmonella food poisonings were associated with contaminated sprouts in Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, and West Virginia.
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