The Jimmy John's E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least 14 people in six states prompted the fast-food sandwich chain to pull raw sprouts from its menu after federal and state health investigators implicated raw clover sprouts as the likely cause. While it's no secret in food safety circles that sprouts are a familiar vector of food poisoning -- including in previous outbreaks at Jimmy John's -- numerous visitors to the Jimmy John's Facebook "Wall" don't seem to be aware of the issue or just don't care. They miss their sprouts. "I'm sad because I was just thinking about a turkey tom and now everyone is sayin the sprouts are gon seriously?! )-: best part,'' one posting said. "WUZZZZ UPPPPPP !!!!!!!!!!! Just got a turkey tom with no bean sprouts Called the store back and was told … [Read more...]
Sprouts Safety Alliance Created by FDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, along with the Illinois Institute of Technolgy's Institute for Food Safety and Health (IIT IFSH) has created the Sprouts Safety Alliance to help sprout producers follow best practices. This Alliance is going to develop core curriculum, training, and outreach programs. It will be made up of FDA members, local and state food protection agencies, the food industry, and academia. In early 2012, the FDA will issue a proposed rule that is going to establish science-based standards for production and harvest of high-risk produce, under section 105 of the Food Safety Modernization Act. Sprouts have a unique level of risk because the warm, dark and moist environment they grow in encourages bacterial growth. And seeds often have bacteria encapsulated … [Read more...]
Food Safety Attorney Calls on All Restaurants to Pull Raw Sprouts
Restaurants, commercial kitchens and other food service providers should cease serving raw sprouts of any kind unless an explicit food safety warning is provided to customers, national E. coli lawyer Fred Pritzker announced today in a national press release. The warning should alert consumers to the risk of infection from life-threatening virulent bacteria -- a threat that hasn't been erased by regulators or seed and sprout suppliers despite more than a decade of intensive efforts. The latest evidence that raw sprouts are unsafe to eat is a six-state outbreak of E. coli O26 associated with raw clover sprouts served by the sandwich chain Jimmy John's. At least two Jimmy John's victims live in Michigan, where state health and agriculture officials have alerted the state to a broader E. … [Read more...]
Michigan State University Student Ill with E. coli 026; Jimmy John’s Sprouts to Blame?
We all know that college students love fast food. The easy access, high flavor (thanks to high sodium) and bang for your buck appeal to young people. Sprouts seem like a "healthy" addition to sandwiches. And fast food restaurants tend to cluster around large colleges and universities. At Michigan State University, that draw and proximity may have sickened at least one student. There are at least three Jimmy John's restaurants near the college. The state has two confirmed E. coli 026 cases and five potential cases. All seven people ate raw sprouts at Jimmy John's restaurants in the past several weeks. The Centers for Disease Control, the FDA, and the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) are all working together to determine the source of the sprouts. The two cases confirmed … [Read more...]
Raw Sprout Outbreak Grows to 14 Cases in Six States
Today, two new cases of foodborne illness were added to an outbreak linked to raw clover sprouts. The cases were confirmed in Michigan, adding a new state to the case load. The Centers for Disease Control updated the outbreak on Friday, February 24, 2012. Genetic fingerprinting of the bacteria that caused the illness, identified as STEC 026 (Shiga toxin E. coli 026) has linked all of the cases together. Both of the new patients said they ate raw sprouts at Jimmy John's restaurants the week before they got sick. The case count as of Friday, February 24, 2012 is: Arkansas (1) Iowa (5) Kansas (2) Michigan (2) Missouri (3) Wisconsin (1) All of the patients are female; two have been hospitalized. The age range is from 9 to 49 years old; the median patient age is 25. … [Read more...]
Michigan Residents Advised to Avoid Clover Sprouts
The Michigan Department of Community Health is warning people to avoid raw clover sprouts. Seven people have become ill after eating them at sandwich shops around the state, and two people have been hospitalized. The establishments that served the sandwiches have not been identified. The onset of illness ranges from February 6 to February 12, 2012. So far, two cases of E. coli 026 infections have been confirmed, bringing the total sickened by this particular bacteria to 14. Their genetic fingerprint matches the bacteria blamed for the outbreak at Jimmy John's restaurants in Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, and Wisconsin. E. coli 026 can cause severe or life-threatening illness because it produces Shiga toxins, poisonous proteins that cause serious illness. In fact, shiga toxin … [Read more...]
At A Glance: CDC Advice to Public Concerning Raw Sprouts of Any Kind
The most recent outbreak of food borne illness linked to raw sprouts is a restaurant-based outbreak of E. coli O26 associated with consumption of raw clover sprouts served on sandwiches at certain Jimmy John's locations in Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and Wisconsin. Like other restaurants chains and some large food retailers, Jimmy John's has now removed sprouts from its menu offerings because of the inherent risk of pathogen contamination in this area of fresh produce. CDC Advice to Consumers: Children, older adults, pregnant women, and persons with weakened immune systems should avoid eating raw sprouts of any kind (including alfalfa, clover, radish, and mung bean sprouts). Cook sprouts thoroughly to reduce the risk of illness. Cooking thoroughly kills the harmful … [Read more...]
Restaurants Dumping Raw Sprouts
After many recalls of sprouts for possible bacterial contamination and several outbreaks of foodborne illness linked to sprouts, restaurants across the country are removing the product from their menus. Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwich franchise is no longer serving sprouts. The decision was made after the recent outbreak of E. coli 026 in five states. Jason's Deli dropped sprouts until at least 2013 as a food safety measure. Erbert and Gerbert's Sandwich shops have followed suit. The Winn-Dixie chain recently went above and beyond a recall of LEASA Alfalfa Sprouts, removing all of that company's product instead of just the sprouts named in the recall, "out of an abundance of caution." The problem with sprouts starts in the field. The product itself is easily contaminated, … [Read more...]
Bad Seeds: Sprout Outbreaks Historically Tied to Seed Suppliers
In 1999, two major events unfolded that raised public awareness of the foodborne illness risk associated with consumption of raw sprouts. During September 1999, a multistate outbreak of Salmonella serovar Muenchen infection associated with eating raw alfalfa sprouts was identified in Wisconsin. Despite use of a calcium hypochlorite sanitizing procedure to pretreat seeds before sprouting, at least 157 outbreak-related illnesses were identified in seven states involving multiple sprout growers who received alfalfa seed from a specific lot. That same year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released guidance to help seed producers and sprout growers enhance the safety of their products. Specific measures recommended in the guidelines include a seed disinfection step and … [Read more...]
After Four Outbreaks, Jimmy John’s Permanently Pulls Sprouts From Menu
After four “sproutbreaks” in four years, Jimmy John's is permanently removing sprouts from its menu. Although the company has still not made a public statement about the multi-state E.coli outbreak that has sickened a dozen people, Jimmy John Liautaud, the company’s founder, told franchisors in an email that the company would no longer be offering sprouts of any kind on its menu. State and federal health officials, who are investigating the outbreak collaboratively, believe the source of the E.coli 026 outbreak is clover sprouts. The company switched from alfalfa to clover sprouts last year after its third sproutbreak, a Salmonella outbreak in February 2011 that sickened 140 people in 26 states. Sprouts are a common source of foodborne illness causing more than 30 U.S. outbreaks in … [Read more...]
