NEW OUTBREAK IN SPROUTS IN THE U.S.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers about a new outbreak in sprouted seeds in the U.S. I have been wondering when we would get the next one here, as we haven't heard of any for over a month.

Before you get too nervous - no, it is not the same bacteria as in Germany and France (a very toxic E.coli). It's just a plain old Salmonella bacteria - what we usually get in our sprouted seeds over here. But, having said that, it is one of the more nasty Salmonella -S.Enteritidis. And, I gather it is a fairly heavy contamination - not just a few bacteria, but loads of them - a much heavier contamination than usual. A heavier bacterial load means more chance of becoming seriously ill.

Illnesses are indeed occuring in several states - at least 20 so far in Idaho, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota and Washington State. Expect more.

The FDA has advised consumers not to eat Evergreen Produce brand alfalfa sprouts and spicy sprouts. They are being sold in 4 oz. or 16 oz. plastic bags labeled “Evergreen Produce” or “Evergreen Produce Inc."

I would suggest you avoid any of Evergreen Produce's sprout products for the time being, while we see if others are contaminated as well. No doubt the FDA is busily testing everything. Since the company is refusing to recall any of them, they are still out there being sold (I'll elaborate on this in my next post).

To your good health,

TSF

DID BRITISH SPROUT SEEDS CAUSE E.COLI OUTBREAK IN FRANCE?

The UK industry and officials are denying it. But the French say it is true - or probably true. Seeds imported from Britain may have caused the latest (hopefully not E.coli 0104) sprout-linked outbreak in France. Is this going to be a modern-day Sprout Waterloo?

We will know in the next few days or weeks. In the meantime, France has halted the sale of fenugreek, mustard and arugula seeds from a British mail order seed and plant company, Thompson & Morgan. Apparently those sprouts on top of the delicious but deadly gazpacho at the Bordeaux charity dinner (where several of the recent victims ate) were grown with seeds from this company.

Company officials are saying it is more likely to have been something the French grower did or didn't do (since it is such a local outbreak - so far). But British authorities are being cautious anyway in protecting the eating public. Today (Saturday) they warned consumers against eating uncooked sprouts. The statement put out by Britain's Food Safety Agency advised that "sprouted seeds should only be eaten if they have been cooked thoroughly until steaming hot throughout." But it also noted that there haven't been any home-grown cases in the UK so far. This warning was just precautionary.

Even if it turns out to be something else (after all, a gazpacho has a lot of uncooked vegetables in it as well - including cucumbers, and this would not be the first time investigators jumped to a wrong conclusion), it is better to be safe than sorry.

Skip the sprouts in your salad, sandwich or soup. And if you are eating out, make a point of asking the restaurant to omit them.

To your good health,
TSF

ANOTHER U-TURN IN THE E.COLI OUTBREAK INVESTIGATION?

So the culprit vegetable for the huge toxic E.coli outbreak was declared to be (Spanish, imported) cucumbers. And then it wasn't cucumbers. Next it was (German-Saxony, organic) bean sprouts. And now doubt is being cast too on this being the criminal food. Talk of a mess! And talk of an embarrassing situation for German officials. And, a very frustrating situation for all the people living or visiting Northern Germany who are trying to not starve to death or ruin their health, but not knowing what to eat.

But I am a little sympathetic, because of the pressures and challenges involved in solving this mystery. If you have "been in the business" - as I have (among other things, having done bacteriology in public health laboratories), you tend to be more aware of the barriers and pitfalls. For one thing, particularly in the case of food, sufficient numbers of bacteria rarely turn up in every single sample. So you may get some negatives as well as positives. In this case, the news reports 23 out of 40 samples from the farm had turned out negative so far. There are still 17 to go. Let's see...

But there is also the chance - although less likely - that the bacteria entered at a later point. There are still other possibilities as well. I don't have the details on when the sprout samples were taken, but conceivably, it might be possible that the contamination was temporary, in that it only affected sprout crops at a certain period of time (around end of April to early May). This could have been a rainy period, with more runoff from fields where cattle were grazing. Or, perhaps wild animals (which can also carry such bacteria) were running around then, and are now gone. Sprouts do spoil rather quickly, so there may have been none of the original samples left on which to do tests.

Investigating the cause of a food outbreak is always a challenge, particularly with perishable produce or perishable legumes, unless you just happen to get lucky (for instance, finding the contaminated food sitting in the refrigerator of someone who has become ill). But, admittedly, this is one for the history books.

To your good health,

TSF

ARE SPROUTS SAFE TO EAT?

On January 4 of this year, I posted "Five Foods I Won't Eat in 2011." Sprouts was one of them. In fact, it was first on the list. I guess if all those unfortunate people who are very ill with the German E.coli had read this post, they would be much happier today. I wish they had. This outbreak is no joke. Nor is this new super-toxic strain of E.coli bacteria.

The Safe Food Handbook has identified sprouts as one of the riskiest foods to eat. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not like sprouted seeds either. In fact, it warns people who are elderly or with a weakened immune system, not to eat them. There have been certain periods of time, such as April, 2009, when the FDA has warned everyone - even healthy people - not to eat sprouts. That is what the German government is doing now. For thousands of people, it's too late.

The usual contaminant of sprouts in the United States is Salmonella bacteria, although E.coli 0157:H7 has also been involved in contaminated alfalfa sprouts in the U.S. , as has the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. In the German outbreak, it is E.coli. Both in the case of the Salmonella and the E.coli bacteria, the original source is likely to be animal manure. In the case of Listeria contamination, the point of entry could be during processing.

Will washing sprouts help? Not always, because the contaminant can be right inside the seed itself.

Will cooking help? (Not that most of us like well-cooked sprouts) Sometimes. In the case of some E.coli bacteria, the enterotoxins they produce are heat-labile (meaning they are destroyed at high temperatures). But other E.coli enterotoxins can survive. That means that even cooking won't always solve the problem. And it is the toxins that really attack your body and continue to do so, even when the bacteria themselves have left the scene.

You may think twice about eating those sprouted seeds in the future.

To your good health!
TSF

BREAKING NEWS : BEAN SPROUTS CAUSE OF E.COLI OUTBREAK

I have just returned from being interviewed on KRON 4 Television in San Francisco (my second time there this year). The topic was the European E.coli outbreak. Since this is an emerging situation, I made sure that I caught up with the latest news before I left the house for the studio. But wouldn't it. About 5 minutes before the interview aired the news came out. It is now suspected that the outbreak was caused by bean sprouts, served in Hamburg area restaurants. It wasn't the cucumbers, tomatoes or lettuce after all. It was a legume. At least I had blogged the possibility last night - and identified one of the restaurants (see previous blog). It helps to be a step ahead of the "breaking news."

Besides, I can't say I am surprised. What was that famous line is the movie Casablanca after Major Strasser has been shot? "Round up the usual suspects." We tend to go for the obvious first. In this case of deadly food borne illness, the usual suspects were cucumbers, lettuce and tomatoes. Most people eat them. So, if people who are ill are asked what they ate in the last few days, they are likely to mention these. Who is likely to say" "Oh, and there were these tiny sprouts in the salad..." That's why it took a while - far too long - to come up with the culprit food.

This is not the first time that a misidentification has happened in the investigation of a food-linked outbreak. Remember the case in the large Salmonella outbreak in the U.S. in 2008 when those poor tomatoes were blamed for everything, and it really turned out to be Jalapeno and Serrano peppers - and only "maybe" tomatoes as well? This isn't the only instance of the wrong food being identified.

To your good health!
TSF

RESTAURANT FOOD MAY BE INVOLVED IN E.COLI OUTBREAK

There is now some speculation that the huge outbreak of super-toxic E.coli in Europe may not have originated at the farm level after all. And, it may not be linked to imported produce - such as cucumbers. In fact, the outbreak could have been "home-grown" in Northern Germany itself, maybe originating at the Hamburg Port Festival. The beautiful festival took place at the beginning of May. That timing sounds just about right. It was attended by about 1.5 million people - both tourists and locals.

The possibility is being investigated. Certainly at least some of the victims attended the event. And reportedly several of them ate at a popular local restaurant called the Kartoffel-Keller - "The Potato Cellar" in English. It is a charming Hamburg restaurant with outdoor tables and vines - straight out of a tourist brochure. The photo is of one of their potato pies. The owner is clearly upset, to put it mildly.

I assume that we'll find out in the next few days whether all of the victims ate there (except for those who caught it second-hand from other people). They are no doubt being questioned right now. But it's possible. And it may not have been the restaurant's fault. If you look at my post of earlier today on E.coli 0157:H7 recalls of the past few months in the U.S., you will see that at least two of the contaminated meat recalls were of ground meat distributed to restaurants only. That is, the distributor sent the restaurant contaminated food. As I say in The Safe Food Handbook, restaurant food tends to be less safe.

Was the source even salad? Or was it potatoes? Or meat? Or, sprouts?

To your good health!
TSF

E.COLI CONTAMINATED CUCUMBERS CAUSE ILLNESSES IN EUROPE

There has been an outbreak of deadly foodborne bacteria in the European food market. It's one of the most dangerous E.coli - a bacteria which we usually associate with meat. And, the culprit food? Those innocent-looking cucumbers - organic ones. On May 26, the European Commission triggered its Rapid Alert System, which is does not happen very often.

It seems that the cucumbers originated in provinces of Almeria and Malaga in Spain and were exported. Many of the illnesses have occurred in Germany. Spain is one of Germany's largest suppliers of cucumbers (accounting for about 40% of all cucumbers imported). As of today, probably at least ten Germans have died of the infection, and hundreds are seriously ill with Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). Not everyone who gets a case of E.coli-caused foodborne illness will get complications of HUS. Maybe one out of ten, or even less. Usually it will develop in people who are weaker - such as children and the elderly. HUS affects the kidneys, other body organs and sometimes even the brain. It requires hospitalization, and can be fatal. I should know. I almost died of it - although not from these cucumbers.

These cases of cucumber-related foodborne illness have also been reported in Sweden, Denmark, Britain, Netherlands, many of them among people who had travelled to Germany. People in other European countries which import cucumbers, such as Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Luxemburg, are also becoming very nervous. Oddly, no illnesses have been reported in Spain. (Send your deadly food overseas!). There is also a possibility that lettuce, and maybe tomatoes may be contaminated as well.

My advice if you live in one of the countries that imports cucumbers from Spain: toss out any still in your home. If you have already eaten some of these raw cucumbers recently, don't panic. It is very unlikely that every cucumber will carry enough bacteria to make you ill. But watch out for symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, weakness, stomach cramps. If you do become ill and don't get better in a few days, and particularly if you have bloody diarrhea, go and see your doctor.

UPDATE: Cucumbers were mistakenly identified as the culprit food by the German investigators, and too quickly announced to the public by the officials. It turned out to be locally grown sprouts.

To your good health!

TSF

FIVE FOODS I WON'T EAT IN 2011

I'm an omnivore. I have even eaten barbecued bugs in Asia, sheep's eyes in Greece, some very odd root foods gathered by Bushmen in Africa, and well...a whole lot of other things I would rather not think about these days.

But the other night someone I met at a party asked me if there are any types of North American dishes or meals I simply won't eat because I consider them too unsafe. Yes, there are. Here are five that I plan to pass on in 2011, both when eating at home and when eating out:

• Salads or sandwiches made using raw sprouts.
Sprouts are simply too easily contaminated, even when producers use best FDA recommended procedures, and even if you grow them yourself.

• Raw oysters in any form.
True, I don't care for their slimy texture, but there is also a major health risk: Vibrio vulnificus bacteria which can make you very seriously ill and even be fatal.

• Farmed fish imported from China.
Too many drug residues have been found in these fish, and the FDA probably isn't even catching a small fraction of the ones that are there.

• Cheeses made with unpasteurized ("raw") milk.
I love them, but the latest outbreaks are showing that the 60 day cheese aging rule is not working to kill all bacteria.

• Sunnyside-up eggs.
I don't consider eggs to be a very risky food, in spite of the 2010 large Salmonella-associated outbreak. But they're easy to give up. I mean, they're not like chocolate. So why risk it?


TSF