I’m doing my best to find any reference to a recall of the seeds implicated by the FDA and CDC in the recent Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak, which is now responsible for at least 228 illnesses in 13 states. I can’t find any action by Caudill Seed taken to actually recall the product. I’m not talking about a
sprouts
Sprout Outbreak Update: this may get messy
Here is a copy of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the CDC addressing the recent sprout outbreak. We have been reporting on this for weeks now (maybe months), since cases were first report in Nebraska in February. Please take a look at this report; it provides a good summary of the anatomy of…
Not exactly the Italian vacation I had planned . . .
Our work at Marler Clark requires lots of travel . . . sometimes even overseas. Looks like it might be time to up my intake of spaghetti carbonnara and red wine so that I’m ready to roll when it comes time to take a closer look at the Italian company selling the sprout seeds that are…
I Ate Contaminated Sprouts . . . What Should I do?
There is plenty of information out there on (1) what sprout and seed companies should be doing to reduce or eliminate the risk that they sell contaminated food to customers, and (2) what sprout sellers should be doing now, in the context of the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak linked to sprouts/sprout seeds. With absolutely no effort…
Sproutman Gets it Right . . . Somewhat Right Anyway
Steve Meyerowitz is, apparently, the Sproutman. Although I disagree with his analysis of the numbers–i.e. Sprouts have caused a hell of a lot more foodborne illnesses than 2,000 in the last 40 years–it’s good to see an industry man who recognizes the risks associated with his product, and who cares enough about consumer health…
Salmonella and Sprouts–I’m not making this up
By the end of this year, I hope to have more devoted readers than there are sprout outbreaks and recalls. As I sit here today, it’s pretty much neck and neck, and I’ll be honest, my competition is relentless. See my earlier post (TODAY!!!) on the ongoing Salmonella outbreak in Michigan . And this just…
Salmonella and sprouts–CW Sprouts outbreak
We have filed two lawsuits on behalf of two victims of the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak linked to sprouts manufactured by CW Sprouts, a Nebraska Company. For information about the outbreak, click here. Keep in mind, studies have shown that the actual number of victims in any given outbreak is many times more than the…
Sprouts and Foodborne Illness: The how and the why
It never ceases to amaze many clients of ours at Marler Clark how foods that seem so healthy can pose so much risk of foodborne disease. Lettuce and E. coli O157:H7??? Many victims were shocked, not to mention badly injured, when baby spinach was the cause of yet another outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 and other…
The Right Chemistry: Mad cows and sprouts
In a recent CanWest News story, Joe Schwarcz asks “what are you more worried about eating, beef from a hamburger joint or a sandwich made with alfalfa sprouts at your local health food emporium?”
Scientifically, this is a “no contest.” I know what you’re thinking. Eat beef and risk mad cow disease. Or, eat beef and risk E. coli 0157:H7. After all, didn’t 120 or so people die in England from mad cow disease? And what about the four children who died from eating tainted hamburgers in the famous “Jack In The Box” episode in 1993? Yes, both of these are awful numbers. But the chance of any individual being affected is extremely low. In England, two million infected cows ended up in the food stream and that resulted in about 10 deaths a year. In Canada we are talking about one cow that never ended up in the food system. As far as the Jack In The Box episode goes, the meat wasn’t properly cooked. That’s it. Cooking hamburger to an internal temperature of about 70 degrees Celsius eliminates the risk of bacterial contamination.
Now let’s turn to those sprouts that adorn many a salad and sandwich in places that feature so-called health foods. The largest recorded case of E. coli 0157:H7 infection in history had nothing to do with meat. It had to do with radish sprouts. In 1996 in Japan 6,000 people became sick and 17 died from eating raw radish sprouts. Can you imagine the publicity this would have garnered if meat had been involved? And it doesn’t only happen in Japan. In the US since 1995, 15 outbreaks of Salmonella infection and two of E. coli 0157:H7 have been associated with sprouts.Continue Reading The Right Chemistry: Mad cows and sprouts