WHY ARE SPROUTED SEEDS RISKY TO EAT?

Outbreaks of foodborne illness from sprouted seeds are common. They have occurred since the 1970's, all over the world. The second largest outbreak in terms of illnesses caused, and the most vicious in terms of the seriousness of those illnesses, occurred this year in northern Germany. Even as the Hamburg-Germany outbreak gradually winds down, new ones have started in France and the United States.

How do sprouts become so risky? Most of the time it is suspected that the actual seeds were the cause. That is, it wasn't contaminated equipment at the sprout farm, or water used during sprout germination, or some disease-carrying worker on the farm or at the packing plant. This means that the sprout grower was also an innocent victim. The bacteria were there already when the seeds were purchased. They had picked up these bacteria from their own growing environment.

However, the chances are that bacteria will be present in fairly low numbers in the seeds themselves. The dry conditions of an ungerminated seed are not ideal for the rapid multiplication of bacteria. But all this changes when the seeds are moistened during pre-germination. Multiplication speeds up even more in the few days during which the seeds germinate into sprouts. The bacteria happily take advantage of all those great nutrients in the seeds and the sprouts and multiply and multiply.

Whereas one teaspoon of seeds may just have contained a hundred or so E.coli, Salmonella, Listeria or other bacteria, after germination, there can turn into a million or more. Those few in the dry seeds may not have been enough to make someone ill, but the large numbers in the sprouted seeds are.

At present, we know of no way to make sprouts completely safe without destroying the seed's power to germinate (see next post). That's the sprout version of Catch 22.

To your good health,

TSF

KELLOGG IS IN TROUBLE WITH THE FDA OVER LISTERIA BACTERIA - AGAIN!

The FDA has sent a warning letter to Kellogg, giving it just 15 days to come up with a fool-proof plan to clean up its factory in Augusta, Georgia. The problem - Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. The plant produces cookies - those delicious Keebler and Famous Amos ones. This bacterium was found in several spots along the production line, all of which come into direct contact with the cookies. The problem actually turned up earlier this year, and Kellogg promised to clean up the plant. It took a number of actions, but it still didn't pass the FDA's follow-up inspection.

This isn't the first time Kellogg is in trouble over Listeria, or has received a warning letter from the FDA. In September, 2009, the bacteria were found in Kellogg's Buttermilk Eggo Waffles manufactured at an Atlanta plant, which also produced frozen food products. This was also a case where Kellogg apparently made a huge effort to investigate the issue and clean up and sanitize the plant, but still failed the FDA follow-up inspection.

As other companies have found out, once bacteria are fairly wide-spread in a food manufacturing plant, it is often very difficult to get rid of - whether it be Salmonella or Listeria monocytogenes. Plant workers can also be carriers without even knowing it. Listeria may be particularly tricky as it can survive and even multiply in the refrigerator. Did they look in there?

This is also an odd bacterium which may barely affect some people, but can be life-threatening to others. Pregnant women have to be especially careful, because they are much more likely to catch it, and it can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or premature delivery or illness of the newborn.

Symptoms to look out for: may include diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms, fever, muscle aches, stiff neck, confusion and sometimes diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms. A bit like the flu. See my earlier blogs for more on Listeria monocytogenes.

To your good health.
TSF

FDA WARNS AMERICANS ABOUT EATING SPROUTS

Only a small percentage of U.S. consumers (about 8 percent) eat sprouts of any kind. Alfalfa is the most popular. But those who do, tend to eat them raw on sandwiches salads or in wraps. They view sprouted seeds as great for their health. Unfortunately, as we have found out from the ongoing European E.coli outbreak linked to sprouts, they can be the opposite.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has for years warned Americans to be careful about sprouts.

Their advice:

To reduce the risk of illness, do not eat raw sprouts such as bean, alfalfa, clover, or radish sprouts. All sprouts should be cooked thoroughly before eating to reduce the risk of illness. This advice is particularly important for children, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems, all of whom are at risk of developing serious illness due to food-borne disease.

Clearly this advice is not being followed. We are still eating raw sprouts - including those people at high risk. I noticed when looking at the illness statistics on the large 2009 outbreak associated with alfalfa sprouts, that the age of the victims ranged from less than 12 months to 85 years.

To your good health!

TSF

A GOOD REACTION TO AN FDA WARNING

Further on the issue of the previous blog - the U.S. government warning to 4 companies manufacturing antiseptic products because of unproven claims about their power to protect against bacteria, including MRSA.

I looked up all of them to see how they were reacting to the government's warning. It was all over the place - ranging from cancelling the product's website, to facing the issue honestly.

I like the honest approach. In fact, one of my pet peeves is that when food or other dangerous products are recalled, usually the company makes no effort to inform consumers: no posts on their website, no recorded messages on their company line, no special advice to people who have bought their products. So I was particularly pleased with Tec Laboratories' reaction - and this wasn't even a recall (yet) - just a warning letter.

Mind you, the claims for their product - StaphAseptic® First Aid Antiseptic - were very exaggerated. This is straight from their website ad yesterday. No surprise - today it is blank: " Applied to minor cuts, scrapes and abrasions, StaphAseptic® can help prevent skin infections caused by bacteria such as MRSA, staph, and other germs...". On Amazon the claims for the product are (still) much less nuanced: "Prevents Skin Infections Caused by Antibiotic Resistant Staph (MRSA) and other Germs." Bad, bad, Amazon.

Tec Laboratories is making no attempt to hide their problems. On their home page, there is a letter from the company's president, mentioning the issue with the FDA, and that they are trying to resolve it. In searching their website further, I also found general instructions on how to prevent MRSA skin infections, which goes beyond their product use to provide good general public health information (They have today changed the title to read "6 Step Skin Infection Prevention Program" with no specific mention of MRSA.)

Overall - top marks to Tec Laboratories for a good reaction to bad news (and false advertising). This straightforward approach is not only good from a public health perspective, but from a marketing one.

TSF