The modest sprout, staple of health-food salad bars and sandwich lines, may carry as much menace as the proverbial undercooked fast-food hamburger.
A study published in the Aug. 21 Annals of Internal Medicine finds sprouts responsible for some of California's biggest outbreaks of E. coli 0157 and salmonella, both of which can make you really sick -- or even kill you.
Researchers found that in outbreaks of E. coli and salmonella infection occurring between 1996 and 1998, 600 Californians had been sickened after eating sprouts (alfalfa in some cases, clover in others); two died. From these confirmed cases, researchers estimated that 22,800 others suffered from gastrointestinal illness or urinary tract infections typical of the diseases but did not report their symptoms. Of all reported food-borne illnesses whose sources could be determined, more than half of those occurring during the study period were traced to sprouts.
Sprout-borne pathogens don't single out health-food fanatics. Many of the offending sprouts came as innocuous-looking garnishes on deli sandwiches or salads.
Sprout seeds, like those for many other crops, are easily contaminated by livestock runoff, nonpotable water, rodent feces and other savory sources of bacteria. Exposure can occur before the grower purchases the seeds or after. The problem is worse for sprouts than for other plants, though, because the seeds are incubated and sprouted in just the kind of moist, humid environment that E. coli 0157 and salmonella bacteria love.
Once a sprout sprouts, there's not a lot a grower -- or consumer -- can do to decontaminate it. You can't just wash the problem away, as you can with lots of other fruits and vegetables. "Since bacteria on the seed surface can become internalized during sprouting, washing sprouts is probably an ineffective way to eliminate pathogens," the study says.
Cooking will kill salmonella and E. Coli in bean sprouts (the FDA suggests quick immersion in boiling water to avoid spoiling the crunch) just as it will in raw eggs and ground beef. But when's the last time you ate cooked sprouts?
Sprout growers acknowledge the contamination problem but say they've done what they can to minimize it. "This is ancient history to me," said Jay Louie, president of the International Sprout Growers Association. In the five years since infectious outbreaks were first linked to sprouts, Louie says ISGA members have adopted the FDA's recommended procedures. But he admits most of the nation's sprout farmers aren't ISGA members, and many either don't know about or couldn't care less about the FDA's recommendations. The notion that the whole industry would benefit if all the growers would clean up their act is lost on them, he says.
But because you can't tell a good sprout from a bad one just by looking, the study's authors don't equivocate. "Since reliable methods for disinfecting seeds or sprouts are not currently available. . .raw sprouts are an inherently dangerous food," especially for young children, elderly people and those with compromised immune systems. The study's last word? "Consumers who want to decrease their risk for food-borne illness should avoid eating raw sprouts."
Those seeking alternatives might want to consider this: According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, no cases of E. coli or salmonella have ever been traced to Snickers bars.
-- Jennifer Huget
