ONE MORE ALFALFA RECALL

I think we have to get over the idea that alfalfa and other sprouted seeds are "super healthy." In my opinion, the risks of getting dangerous bacteria from eating them outweigh such benefits.

Eat alfalfa and it can cure you of anything and everything. At least that is what the claims are - high cholesterol, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, cancer, asthma, problems of menopause, alcholism...and much more. I am not arguing against the nutritional benefits of sprouts, but certainly some of the healing claims are highly exaggerated, without scientific evidence to back them up.

And instead you have considerable risk of ingesting a dangerous bacteria like one of the Salmonella, the more deadly E.coli or Listeria monocytogenes and coming down with food poisoning.

So here's yet another recall of alfalfa sprouts. LEASA Industries Co., Inc. of Miami, FL is recalling 346 cases of LEASA Living Alfalfa Sprouts with use by date 2/1/12 (too late as usual) because of possible contamination by Salmonella bacteria. Clear plastic containers of these sprouts were distributed in the U.S. through FL, GA, AL, LA, and MS through retail stores and food service companies.

There are plenty of other healthy foods you can eat that are far less likely to be contaminated than raw alfalfa sprouts - and taste better.

To your good health,

TSF

WHY FARMERS CAN"T GUARANTEE SPROUT SAFETY

Sprouted seeds such as alfalfa, bean sprout, mustard or others, are common sources of illness-causing bacteria, if they are eaten raw. Even the amount of sprouts on that healthy-looking sandwich in the photo can make you ill. Or, that tiny sprinkling in your salad.

A common The reason is that the seeds used for sprouting themselves carry bacteria. These bacteria then multiply rapidly during the moist and warm sprouting process (see previous posts). So what, if anything, can be done at the sprout-farm level to reduce risks for people who eat sprouts raw?

Sprout growers are advised to use good seed harvesting and decontamination practices (chemicals, heat, irradiaton), and it has been shown that such practices can reduce the numbers of bacteria present. In the U.S., the FDA issued this advice to farmers in 1999 after a bad series of outbreaks in sprouts nationwide. These are recommendations - not requirements. Not all sprout farmers follow them (although it is believed that most do).

Research has also shown that they are not 100% effective even when followed. Some bacteria are likely to remain unharmed and ready to multiply, particularly if they are the hardier E.coli or Salmonella. Unfortunately, these are also likely to be more deadly.

For instance, even when alfalfa seeds carrying E.coli bacteria are treated for three minutes with a 20,000 ppm active chlorine solution, some of the bacteria have still been found to be alive. The same thing happens when solutions of other chemical sanitizers such as calcium hypochlorite, trisodium phosphate, alcohol and hydrogen peroxide are used. Or, when seeds are heated to high temperatures.

The problem is that at certain temperatures or at high concentrations of chemicals it becomes a tradeoff between killing all the bacteria, and destroying the ability of the seeds to germinate properly.

Spraying of the sprouts with chemical disinfectant solutions during actual germination doesn't work completely either. The chemicals may not reach all the bacteria, which could be hiding in the roots or in clumps of sprouts.

Besides, who want "super-healthy" sprouts to be loaded with chemicals? Or, irradiated and limp?

So far we haven't found the ideal solution. So it's up to us to be smart consumers. Don't eat raw sprouts.

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

SALMONELLA OUTBREAK SEASON IS BEGINNING IN THE U.S.

Salmonella bacteria are a very common cause of food poisoning. Usually, the symptoms are ones like diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain or cramps, weakness, fever. These organisms can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, people with weakened immune systems and those who are frail or elderly. Some members of this family of bacteria are particularly vicious.

Most Salmonella outbreaks in the United States food supply, and particularly in fresh produce, occur in the spring or early summer…In other words, about now. And right on schedule, here we go. During the last 12 days, Salmonella has cropped up in several of those nice healthy foods most of us eat, which are now being recalled:

• In cucumbers, distributed by L&M Companies, Inc. of Raleigh, North Carolina. There aren’t many recalls of cucumbers, so this is somewhat unusual.
• In alfalfa sprouts, distributed by Jonathan's Sprouts of Rochester, MA. Alfalfa sprouts are one of the riskiest food you can eat, and every year there are a number of outbreaks and recalls.
• In cilantro, distributed to food service customers, by Satur Farms of Cutchogue, New York. Salmonella in cilantro is also not unusual.
• In grape tomatoes grown by Six L’s of Immokalee, Fla.. In turn, these tomatoes were used by Taylor Farms Pacific of Tracy, California, for some 70 different ready-to-eat salads for Albertsons, Raley's, Safeway, Savemart, Sam's Club, & Walmart. (Wouldn’t you think that a label which includes the word “Farms” would be growing their own produce instead of bringing it from Florida?). For the entire list of RTE products under recall, go to: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm253580.htm (It is too long to reproduce here).
• And….......

There are more to come. Summer is just beginning. So is Salmonella season.

TSF

RECENT FOOD RECALLS IN CALIFORNIA

California is a great place to live. It's not just the beauty and climate. It's also the food. California is the number one food and agricultural producer in the United States. More than half the nation's fruit, nuts, and vegetables come from here. In addition, it's the nation's number one dairy state. There are also a large number of food importers, distributors and processors based here. That can mean that our food travels less miles and arrives at our table in fresher condition than in many other parts of the U.S.

Unfortunately, all this does not mean that California has completely safe food. In fact, we come in for more than our fair share of recalls. Let's take those I have listed for the past few days. I am also noting how you can contact the company for more information (see also the alerts column and click on FDA or USDA links for additional details).

• Jennie-O Turkey Store frozen turkey burgers with possible Salmonella contamination were distributed in California as well as in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Washington and Wisconsin. For more information, see the special website the company has created for consumers at www.jennieo.com/recall(Congratulations on taking this unusual step!).

• Seafood Salads from Frankly Fresh with possible contamination by Listeria monocytogenes were distributed through retail supermarkets in California (as well as in Nevada). For more information contact the company at we-care@franklyfresh.com or its hot line at 1-800-826-3322 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m to 5 p.m. PT.

• Angelina brand smoked round scad (imported from the Philippines) which could be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum was distributed in California through retail stores, supermarkets and wholesale distributors (as well as in Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Washington, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Texas, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and the Virgin Islands). For more information - Contact the company at 323-257-1888 Monday to Friday noon to 9 p.m. EDT.

• Sprouts sold by Louie Foods International were apparently distributed only in California in the central valley and along the CA coast. For more information call Louie Foods, International at (559) 264-2745 PT.

By the way, three of the four recalls below (all except the turkey burgers) originated in California as well. All the bacteria involved in these incidents - Clostridium, Listeria and Salmonella - can cause serious and even fatal illnesses. You can not tell by looking at these foods that they may be contaminated.

Be careful my California friends.

TSF

FOOTNOTE: I notice that a lot of blog readers are pulling up this post during a ground turkey recall in August, which also affects California. The present post only covered a few days in April. The ground turkey recall is dealt with in three posts in August 3-4.

MISLEADING STATISTICS ON FOODBORNE ILLNESS

One of the many Mark Twain sayings that I like is: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." True - statistics are often misleading. You can interpret and use them in a variety of ways to make a point. That also applies to statistics about foodborne illness. A call-in question during my KQED Forum radio interview on Friday, made me very aware of this. But it is difficult to explain complicated issues well in a 10-20 second response on air (particularly if the show is live, and the question catches you "cold.") So I am doing it here.

The number of reported illnesses caused by one or other food or food group (such as produce, dairy, seafood, meat, grains) depends on several factors. They include:

• The contaminants that it carries
• Whether these contaminants are or are not checked for by the industry and government inspectors
• The food's popularity (how widely it is distributed, eaten or used as an ingredient in other food products)
• The point of contamination (farm, factory, distributor, transporter, retailer, restaurant, and so on).

The questioner was particularly concerned because I said that raw vegetables and fruits cause a large number of illnesses every year. They do - because most Americans and Canadians eat them, most of the contaminants enter at an early point (the farm), several bacteria are now tested for on raw produce, and some of the huge fresh produce companies distribute their products nationwide.

Yes, your lettuce or spinach salad may not be as deadly - strictly speaking as say, as raw oysters or sprouted seeds. But these foods cause a far smaller number of illnesses in the U.S. and Canada, simply because only a small percentage of people eat them. Raw produce causes many times more. But for the stated reasons.

TSF