Nature's Wonder Mung Bean Sprouts are being recalled for possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. No illnesses have been reported to the company to date in connection with the consumption of this product. The recalling firm is Chang Farm in Whatley, Massachusetts. The recalled product is Nature's Wonder Mung Bean Sprouts that are packaged in 12 ounce clear plastic bags with a blue banner. The sell by date is December 13, 2023. The code for the product is 12/13 that is on the back of the product inside a white box. The mung bean sprouts were sold to retail stores and wholesalers in the states of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and Maryland. The recall was triggered when a random sample of the mung beans was collected and analyzed by the Virginia Department of … [Read more...]
Fresh Sprouts Bean Sprouts Recalled in Canada For Possible Salmonella
Fresh Sprouts Bean Sprouts are being recalled in Canada for possible Salmonella contamination, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). The sprouts were distributed in Ontario at the retail level. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this issue. The recalled product is Fresh Sprouts Bean Sprouts, which were sold in 454 gram containers. The UPC number on the product is 8 27468 00100 0, and the code on the package is 20/FEB/28. This recall was triggered by test results. The Canadian Food InspectionAgency is conducting a food safety investigation which may lead to the recall of more products. If this happens, the public will be informed by a notice on the CFIA web site. The government is also verifying that industry is removing this product from the … [Read more...]
As Outbreaks Unfold CDC Advises: To Safely Eat Sprouts, Cook Them
As two ongoing multistate outbreaks linked to alfalfa sprouts unfold, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that the safest way to consume sprouts is to cook them. Sprouts are a known source of food poisoning that have been the source of more than 40 outbreaks over the last 20 years, causing 2,405 illnesses, 171 hospitalizations, and three deaths federal health officials say. Currently there are two outbreaks linked to alfalfa sprouts. One is a Salmonella outbreak linked to sprouts produced by Sweetwater Farms in Kansas that sickened 13 people in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Pennsylvania hospitalizing five of them. The other is an E. coli outbreak linked to sprouts produced by Jack and the Green Sprouts of River Falls, Wis. which has sickened nine people in … [Read more...]
Kkot Saem Bean Sprouts Recalled for Listeria
Kkot Saem Sprouts Inc. of Spanaway, Washington is recalling soybean sprouts and mung bean sprouts for Listeria.No illnesses have been reported, but consumers who have purchased these sprouts should not eat them as they risk serious illness if they do. The recalled sprouts were sold under brand names Kkot Saem, Winter Blossom Bean Sprouts, and Winter Blossom and distributed at H-Mart in Washington and Oregon, and G-Mart in Oregon. The last date of distribution was December 16, 2014. The mung bean sprouts have a five-day shelf life from the packing date and soybean sprouts product has a two-week shelf life from the packing date. The recall was initiated after a sample collected and analyzed by the Food and Drug Administration was positive for Listeria. To see a complete list of the … [Read more...]
Bean Sprout Salmonella Outbreak Sickens 111 in 12 States
A bean sprout Salmonella outbreak has sickened 111 people in 12 states, according to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Twenty six percent of those who became ill after eating sprouts produced by Wonton Foods Inc. of Brooklyn required hospitalization. The sprouts were sold at stores and served at restaurants on the East Coast. Since the last update on December 4, an additional 24 illnesses have been reported and the outbreak has spread to another state, Maryland. When the outbreak was announced November 21, Wonton Foods agreed to destroy any bean sprouts remaining and close its manufacturing facility for cleaning. On November 24, the firm resumed production and began shipping sprouts again November 29. Salmonella poisoning causes symptoms … [Read more...]
Rare Salmonella Strains in Bean Sprout Outbreak
There are two Salmonella strains involved in the outbreak linked to contaminated bean sprouts that has sickened 87 people in 11 states. And both of them are rare, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). To solve and track this outbreak, public health investigators are using PulseNet, a national subtyping network of public health agencies that is coordinated by CDC. When patients are diagnosed with a foodborne bacterial infection, a DNA "fingerprinting" test, called pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), is performed on the bacteria and the "fingerprint" is shared on the network. The two strains associated with this outbreak have rarely surfaced on PulseNet, according to the CDC. "On average, less than 10 Salmonella bacteria with these PFGE patterns … [Read more...]
Will Sprout Grower Face Criminal Charges After Listeria Recalls?
After two Listeria recalls in two years, bean sprout grower Henry's Farm of Virginia may face criminal charges, according to a report in The Packer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been investigating the company for 32 months, but Listeria problems have persisted even after a fire destroyed the facility and it was rebuilt. After the recall in 2012, FDA investigators inspected the facility and found “numerous insanitary conditions and practices that may have contributed directly or indirectly to contamination of your sprouts with pathogens and filth.” There were rodent droppings in bags of mung beans, and gnawed marks on bags of soybeans in the refrigerated seed storage area. Inspectors also noted a “foul odor consistent with rodent infestations.” In late November … [Read more...]
Bean Sprout Salmonella Outbreak Sickens 87 in 11 States
A bean sprout Salmonella outbreak has sickened 87 people in 11 states, according to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Twenty seven percent of those sickened have been hospitalized. The outbreak has been linked to Wonton Foods Inc. of Brooklyn, which suspended production briefly to clean its facility and resumed production on November 29. Health officials says it’s likely that the contaminated sprouts are no longer in circulation as the maximum shelf life of mung bean sprouts is 12 days. Since the CDC’s last update on November 25, 19 additional cases have been reported and the outbreak has spread to one new state, Virginia. Connecticut had three new cases, Massachusetts had four new cases, New York had nine news cases, Ohio had two new cases and … [Read more...]
FDA’s Consumer Advice on Bean Sprout Salmonella Outbreak
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is offering advice to consumers as a 10-state Salmonella outbreak unfolds on the East Coast. At least 63 people in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont have been diagnosed with Salmonella infections. Eleven people have been hospitalized. The outbreak has been traced to mung bean sprouts produced by Wonton Foods Inc of Brooklyn. They were distributed to Asian restaurants and other establishments in nine states on the East Coast (all of the above except Montana. The single case patient there is believed to have contracted the infection while visiting the East Coast.) Wonton Foods has not recalled the sprouts but claims to have contacted companies that took delivery. The … [Read more...]
Bean Sprout Salmonella Outbreak Hits Massachusetts Hard
A 10-state bean sprout Salmonella outbreak has sickened 68 people, many of them in Massachusetts. In a outbreak update released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the case count by state was as follows: Connecticut (4), Maine (3), Massachusetts (31), Montana (1), New Hampshire (4), New York (5), Ohio (1), Pennsylvania (10), Rhode Island (6), and Vermont (3). Health officials say the Montana case contracted the infection while traveling to the East Coast. During patient interviews, case patients, who range in age from less than one year to 83 years old, reported onset of illness dates ranging from September 30, 2014 to November 10, 2014. Fifty-six percent of those sickened are female. There have been 11 hospitalizations. Health officials have linked the … [Read more...]
