Market Farming

["Kevin Ancell" <kancell AT goodearthgardens.com>]

USA: Health warning hits raw sprouts
14 Jan 2002
Source: just-food.com editorial team

US federal health experts at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention
warned last week that young children, the elderly and consumers with weak
immune systems should avoid eating raw sprouts.

The warning came after the completion of an investigation into an outbreak
of a rare form of salmonella across California, Colorado, Arizona and New
Mexico last year, which was found to be due to consumption of raw alfalfa
sprouts from a single producer.

Protein-rich sprouts can also harbour potentially fatal infections, such as
salmonella, because they are grown in moist humid conditions that are the
perfect breeding ground for germs.

Dr Mark Beatty of the CDC's National Center for Infectious Diseases, told
Reuters that consumers are often under the "misconception" that sprouts are
a health food. "The immuno-compromised people could develop shock and die
from the infection," he said.
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Here's one of many releases from the CDC's Web Site:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/press_r/taormina.htm

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If the news media grabs a hold of this like ALAR or other media driven
scares this could be bad for those of us growing sprouts.

Kevin