EON

Toronto – The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control have issued warnings advising consumers to avoid eating raw alfalfa sprouts after 31 people in 6 states were sickened. Most of the patients reported eating raw alfalfa sprouts, either in a restaurant or from a store.

Since mid-March, cases in Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah and West Virginia have been reported. FDA and CDC investigations are still ongoing, but it is believed that alfalfa sprout seeds contaminated with Salmonella Saintpaul are the source of the problem.

The current warning only applies to raw alfalfa sprouts. Other types of sprouts are not under investigation. However, the FDA and CDC always recommend that children, the elderly and individuals with compromised immune systems avoid all raw sprouts due to the risk of bacterial contamination.

Signs of salmonella infection include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, chills, headache, muscle pain and bloody stools. Although salmonella can be fatal, no deaths related to this outbreak have been reported.