DECEMBER 2011

Multistate Jimmy John’s Restaurants Raw Clover Sprouts 2011

            Organism: Non-O157 STEC

            Vehicle: Vegetables, Sprouts, Clover Sprouts

On February 15, 2012, the Centers for Disease Control announced an ongoing investigation into illnesses linked to the consumption of raw clover sprouts consumed at Jimmy John’s Restaurants in several states. Among 11 ill persons with information ava…Read More »

JUNE 2011

France Sprouts Made From Egyptian Seed 2011

            Organism: Non-O157 STEC

            Vehicle: Vegetables, Sprouts, Fenugreek, Mustard, Rucola

On June 24, France reported a cluster of cases of bloody diarrhea in a group of people who attended a community event held at a recreational center in Bègles, Bordeaux, on June 8. At least twelve participants developed bloody diarrhea or hemolytic u…Read More »

JUNE 2011

Evergreen Produce Alfalfa and Spicy Sprouts 2011

            Organism: Salmonella

            Vehicle: Vegetable, Sprouts, Alfalfa, Spicy

In late June, Idaho health officials announced an investigation into an outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis suspected to be caused by the consumption of contaminated alfalfa and spicy sprouts. Twenty five cases occurred in five states: Idaho; Washing…Read More »

MAY 2011

International Outbreak Fenugreek Sprouts 2011

            Organism: Non-O157 STEC

            Vehicle: Vegetables, Sprouts, Fenugreek

Beginning in May, an outbreak of E. coli O104:H4, an enterohemorrhagic E. coli, spread rapidly throughout northern Germany affecting mostly adults and females. On May 25, the Robert Koch Institut, Germany’s disease control authority, advised the pub…Read More »

DECEMBER 2010

Sprouters Northwest/Jimmy John’s Restaurants Clover Sprouts 2010

            Organism: Salmonella

            Vehicle: Vegetable, Sprouts, Clover Sprouts

Sprouters Northwest of Kent, Washington, issued a product recall after the company’s clover sprouts had been implicated in an outbreak of Salmonella Newport in Oregon and Washington. At least some of the cases had consumed clover sprouts while at a …Read More »

NOVEMBER 2010

Multistate Outbreak, Tiny Greens Organic Farm, Jimmy John’s Restaurants Alfalfa Sprouts 2010

            Organism: Salmonella

            Vehicle: Vegetables, Sprouts, Alfalfa Sprouts

On December 17, the Illinois Department of Health announced that an investigation was underway into an outbreak of Salmonella, serotype I4,[5],12:i:-. Many of the Illinois cases had eaten alfalfa sprouts at various Jimmy John’s restaurants in the …Read More »

AUGUST 2010

United Kingdom Raw or Undercooked Bean Sprouts 2010

            Organism: Salmonella

            Vehicle: Vegetable, sprouts, bean sprouts

Raw, or undercooked, bean sprouts were linked to an outbreak of Salmonella Bareilly in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The strains of Salmonella Bareilly isolated from case-patients were genetic matches to one another. Salmonella B…Read More »

MARCH 2010

Caldwell Fresh Foods Alfalfa Sprouts 2010

            Organism: Salmonella

            Vehicle: Vegetable, Alfalfa Sprouts

A multistate outbreak of Salmonella Newport was attributed to the consumption of alfalfa sprouts. Genetic fingerprinting of the Salmonella Newport isolates from case-patients showed that they had a genetically identical strain of this bacteria. The…Read More »

AUGUST 2009

Michigan Alfalfa Sprouts 2009

            Organism: Salmonella

            Vehicle:

            Vegetable, Alfalfa Sprouts

Salmonella Typhimurium illnesses occurred among Michigan residents from Bay, Genesee, Kent, Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties who had eaten raw alfalfa sprouts. The source of the sprouts was not described.…Read More »

APRIL 2009

Living Foods, Limited, and Sunsprout Natural Foods, Onion and Alfalfa Sprouts 2009

            Organism: Salmonella

            Vehicle: Vegetable, Onion Sprouts Vegetable, Alfalfa Sprouts

Onion and alfalfa sprouts manufactured by Living Foods, Limited, Alberta, Canada, and Sunsprout Natural Foods, Brantford, Ontario, Canada, were suspected as the cause of an outbreak of Salmonella Cubana, a rare strain of Salmonella. The sprouts may …Read More »

FEBRUARY 2009

CW Sprouts, Inc., SunSprout Sprouts 2009

            Organism: Salmonella

            Vehicle: Vegetable, alfalfa sprouts, onion sprouts, gourmet sprouts

In February, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services officials identified six isolates of Salmonella Saintpaul. Although this is a common strain of Salmonella, during 2008, only three cases had been detected in Nebraska and only four subtyp…Read More »

FEBRUARY 2009

Multistate Private Home Alfalfa Sprouts 2009

            Organism: Salmonella

            Vehicle: Vegetable, Sprouts, Alfalfa Sprouts

A confirmed outbreak of Salmonella Oranienburg was associated with eating alfalfa sprouts in multiple states in the United States. The specific states were not described.…Read More »

SEPTEMBER 2008

Jimmy John’s Restaurant Alfalfa Sprouts and Iceberg Lettuce 2008

            Organism: Non-E.coli O157:H7

            Vehicle: Vegetable, Sprouts, Alfalfa, Leafy Greens, Iceberg Lettuce Person-to-Person

Several University of Colorado students from one sorority became ill with symptoms of bloody diarrhea and cramping. Additional illnesses were reported. E.coli O157:NM(H-) was determined to be the cause. Consumption of alfalfa sprouts at the Jimmy …Read More »

JULY 2008

Sprouters Northwest, Inc. Alfalfa Sprouts 2008

            Organism: Salmonella

            Vehicle: Vegetable, Sprouts, Alfalfa Sprouts

A confirmed outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium was linked to the consumption of alfalfa sprouts produced by Sprouters Northwest, Inc. This company’s sprouts were previously linked to an outbreak of Salmonella in 2004.…Read More »

APRIL 2008

New York Private Home Alfalfa Sprouts 2008

            Organism: Listeria monocytogenese

            Vehicle: Vegetables, Sprouts, Alfalfa

A confirmed outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes occurred among people who had eaten alfalfa sprouts at a private home in New York state.…Read More »

JULY 2007

Sweden Alfalfa Sprouts 2007

            Organism: Salmonella

            Vehicle: Vegetable, Sprouts, Alfalfa Sprouts

Alfalfa sprouts appeared to be the cause of an outbreak of Salmonella Stanley (51 cases) in Sweden. The sprouts had been obtained from a variety of stores and restaurants and had been distributed to these locations from a large-scale sprout producer…Read More »

MAY 2007

California Restaurant and Private Home 2 Bean Sprouts 2007

            Organism: Salmonella

            Vehicle: Vegetables, Sprouts, Bean Sprouts

A confirmed outbreak of Salmonella Mbandaka was linked to eating bean sprouts in the state of California. No further details about this outbreak were found.…Read More »

FEBRUARY 2007

California Restaurant and Private Home Bean Sprouts 2007

            Organism: Salmonella

            Vehicle: Vegetables, Sprouts, Bean Sprouts

An outbreak of Salmonella Montevideo was linked to eating bean sprouts at a restaurant and a private home in California.…Read More »

FEBRUARY 2006

Oregon Restaurant Bean Sprouts 2006

            Organism: Salmonella

            Vehicle: Vegetable, Sprouts, Bean

A confirmed outbreak of Salmonella Braenderup occurred among people who ate bean sprouts at a restaurant in Oregon.…Read More »

NOVEMBER 2005

Massachusetts Private Home Mung Bean Sprouts 2005

            Organism: Salmonella

            Vehicle: Vegetables, Sprouts, Mung Bean Sprouts

Two people became ill due to Salmonella Braenderup after eating mung bean sprouts in a private home in Massachusetts.…Read More »

OCTOBER 2005

Canada Mung Bean Sprouts 2005

            Organism: Salmonella

            Vehicle: Vegetable, Sprouts, Bean Sprouts, Mung Bean Sprouts

An outbreak of Salmonella was linked to the consumption of mung bean sprouts in Ontario, Canada. The sprouter was temporarily banned from selling sprouts, but was allowed to resume sales in late November.…Read More »

APRIL 2004

Sprouters Northwest, Inc. and Sunshine Sprouts Alfalfa Sprouts 2004

            Organism: Salmonella

            Vehicle: Vegetable, Sprouts, Alfalfa Sprouts

Alfalfa sprouts that were sold to various institutional settings in Washington and Oregon were linked to an outbreak of Salmonella Bovismorbificans. Twelve cases were linked to alfalfa sprouts sold by Sprouters Northwest, Inc., and one case was link…Read More »

APRIL 2004

Georgia Restaurant Alfalfa Sprouts 2004

            Organism: Non-E.coli O157:H7

            Vehicle: Vegetable, Sprouts, Alfalfa

Two people were confirmed to be infected with E. coli O157:NM (H-) after eating alfalfa sprouts at a restaurant in Georgia.…Read More »

NOVEMBER 2003

Multistate Restaurant Alfalfa Sprouts 2003

            Organism: Salmonella

            Vehicle:Vegetable, Sprouts, Alfalfa

A confirmed outbreak of Salmonella Chester occurred among people who had eaten alfalfa sprouts at restaurants in the United States. The involved states were not described.…Read More »

JULY 2003

Alfalfa Sprouts July 2003

            Organism: Non-O157 STEC

            Vehicle: Vegetable, Sprouts, Alfalfa Sprouts

An outbreak of E.coli O157:NM occurred in Colorado. Illness was associated with eating alfalfa sprouts. The E.coli O157:NM strain matched a strain that had been implicated in an outbreak in Minnesota in January. The same seed distributor was ident…Read More »

MARCH 2003

Harmony Farms Sprouts 2003

            Organism: Salmonella

            Vehicle: Vegetable, sprouts, onion, alfalfa, salad

Alfalfa, onion, and salad sprouts were recalled by Harmony Farms, a fresh sprout producer in Washington state. Two outbreaks of Salmonella Saintpaul, in March and November, affected nine and thirteen people, respectively. After the March outbreak, …Read More »

JANUARY 2003

Minnesota Restaurant Alfalfa Sprouts 2003

            Organism: E. coli O157:H7, Non-O157 STEC

            Vehicle: Vegetable, Sprouts, Alfalfa Sprouts

In February, a cluster of E.coli O157:H7 (4 cases) and E. coli O157:NM (3 cases) was detected in Minnesota. Illness appeared to be associated with eating alfalfa sprouts served at restaurants although two of the cases appeared to be caused by second…Read More »

JULY 2002

California Alfalfa Sprouts 2002

            Organism: E. coli O157:H7

            Vehicle: Vegetable, Sprouts, Alfalfa

Five E. coli O157:H7 isolates with indistinguishable pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns were identified and investigated in California. Risk of illness was attributed to the consumption of alfalfa sprouts. A traceback led back to a si…Read More »

MARCH 2001

Fuji Natural Foods of Ontario Sprouts 2001

            Organism: Salmonella

            Vehicle: Vegetable, Sprouts

The California Department of Health Services identified a cluster of infections caused by Salmonella Kottbus. Using a standard food history questionnaire, alfalfa sprouts were determined to be the only probable cause of the infections. More cases w…Read More »

FEBRUARY 2001

Asian Restaurants and Other Restaurants Mung Bean Sprouts 2001

            Organism: Salmonella

            Vehicle: Vegetable, Sprouts, Mung Bean Sprouts

Consumption of mung bean sprouts at Asian style restaurants in central Florida (April, 2001), southern and mid-coastal Maine (January, 2002), and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (February, 2001) was associated with illness caused by Salmonella Enteritidis,…Read More »

JANUARY 2001

Hawaii School Mung Bean Sprouts 2001

            Organism: Salmonella

            Vehicle: Vegetable, Sprouts, Mung Bean Sprouts

A confirmed outbreak of Salmonella Enteriditis was linked to eating mung bean sprouts at a school in Hawaii.…Read More »

And, if you want to go back even another decade of bad sprouts, visit Foodborne Illness Outbreak Database.