WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week linked a multi-state salmonella outbreak to sprouts from Tiny Greens Organic Farm, based in Urbana, Illinois. The suspect sprouts, distributed in the Midwest in four-ounce and five-pound containers, are Tiny Greens' Alfalfa Spouts and Spicy Sprouts. The Spicy Sprouts include radish, clover, and alfalfa sprouts. According to the grower's website, it produces 16 varieties of sprouts and microgreens.
Government agencies have linked approximately 94 Salmonella infections to sprouts for the time period of Nov. 1 to Dec. 27.
Food Safety News reported that this particular strain of Salmonella “is noteworthy for its antibiotic resistance.”
The outbreak was originally detected in people who had eaten alfalfa sprouts on sandwiches from Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches in Illinois.
The U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has since documented the outbreak across 16 states and the District of Columbia. While the majority of cases are in the Midwest — with 51 cases in Illinois, 17 cases in Missouri, nine cases in Indiana, and three cases in Wisconsin — there are cases on the East Coast and a case in each California and Hawaii.
The FDA urges retailers, restaurants and consumers to throw away the potentially contaminated sprouts in a sealed container. The FDA has also warned that raw sprouts often cause foodborne illness and should always be cooked thoroughly.