A look at food poisoning outbreaks linked to bean sprouts in recent years shows what a great medium they are for bacterial growth.From 2009 through 2014, eight “sproutbreaks” were caused by seven strains of three pathogens.
The three pathogens are Salmonella, Listeria and E.coli. By pathogen, the breakdown of sproutbreaks from 2009-2014 looks like this: Listeria 1, E.coli 3, Salmonella 5.
In 2014, there were three sproutbreaks each caused by a different pathogen. A Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak sickened 115 people in 12 states, an E.coli O121 outbreak sickened 19 people in six states and a two-state Listeria outbreak killed two people and sickened three others.
In 2012, an E. coli O26 outbreak linked to clover sprouts served at Jimmy John’s sickened 29 people in 11 states. And in 2011, another Salmonella Enteritidis sprout break occured sickening 25 people in four states.
In 2010, there were two multistate sproutbreaks. One, caused by Salmonella serotype I 4,[5],12:i:- sickened 140 people in 26 states. The other, caused by Salmonella Newport, sickened 44 people in 11 states. And in 2009, a Salmonella St Paul outbreak sickened 235 people in 14 states.
Public health officials consider raw sprouts a special risk and advice that the safest way to consume sprouts is to thoroughly cook them.
