Idaho company recalls alfalfa sprouts, citing salmonella threat – CNN.com

July 3, 2011 at 12:11 pm (Food and drink, Global Events, Health and wellness, News and politics)
Tags: Evergreen, produce, Recall, sprouts

Idaho company recalls alfalfa sprouts, citing salmonella threat – CNN.com.

Idaho company recalls alfalfa sprouts, citing salmonella threat

(CNN) — A potential salmonella outbreak has prompted a multi-state recall of sprouts, an Idaho food company announced Friday.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration made a formal recall request Monday, urging on its website that people not eat alfalfa or spicy sprouts from Evergreen Fresh Sprouts. The federal agency noted that the salmonella Enteritidis pathogen is different from the E. coli bacteria that has been blamed for at least 47 deaths, and widespread recalls, in Europe.

The next day, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on its website there had been 21 reported cases of salmonella tied to the sprouts, which are also labeled as Evergreen Produce. Nine of those were in Washington state, seven in Montana, three in Idaho, one in North Dakota and one in New Jersey.

Three of those people have been hospitalized, and there have been no deaths, according to the CDC.

Those affected, ranging in age from 12 years old to 77 years old, fell ill between April 12 and June 7. A vast majority, 77%, of those who became sick were female, according to the CDC.

The recalled sprouts were delivered to four distributors and three retail stores in Idaho and Washington state, Evergreen said in its press release Friday. They include 4-ounce, 16-ounce and 5-pound bags of alfalfa sprouts, plus 4-ounce and 16-ounce bags of spicy sprouts. The expiration dates for all the affected products are between June 22 and July 14.

Evergreen said that authorities determined that all those who fell ill with the salmonella had eaten its sprouts. But the Moyie Springs company said that tests on its products are still pending, and no products have come back positive yet.

According to its website, Evergreen has been family owned and operated since 1990. Besides vegetables, it also distributes fruits, dairy items, pastas and a host of other food products.

Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/07/01/idaho.sprouts.recall/index.html

Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts Jonathans Sprouts Recalls Alfalfa Sprouts Because of Possible Health Risk Extends Recall of 4/19/11 to Additional Products and Codes )

April 26, 2011 at 1:50 pm (Food and drink, Health and wellness, News and politics, Uncategorized)
Tags: alfalfa, bacterial, contamination, extended, Recall, salmonella, sprouts

Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts Jonathans Sprouts Recalls Alfalfa Sprouts Because of Possible Health Risk Extends Recall of 4/19/11 to Additional Products and Codes ).

Sprout Recall

Jonathans Sprouts Recalls Alfalfa Sprouts Because of Possible Health Risk

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm252468.htm

(Extends Recall of 4/19/11 to Additional Products and Codes)

Contact:
Liz Reilley
508-763-2577

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 22, 2011 – Jonathans Sprouts of Rochester, MA is upgrading its recall of conventional alfalfa sprout products with a specific sell-by date to include all of its alfalfa products, conventional and organic, with all sell-by dates, as a precaution, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

Six products are involved:

* Jonathan’s 4oz Alfalfa Sprouts – all sell-by dates
* Jonathan’s 4oz Organic Alfalfa Sprouts – all sell-by dates
* Jonathan’s 4oz Alfalfa with Radish Sprouts – all sell-by dates
* Jonathan’s 4oz Organic Alfalfa with Radish Sprouts – all sell-by dates
* Jonathan’s 4oz Gourmet Sprouts – all sell-by dates
* Jonathan’s 4oz Alfalfa with Dill Sprouts – all sell-by dates
* Jonathan’s 8oz Alfalfa Sprouts – all sell-by dates
* Jonathan’s Organic Sprout Salad – all sell by dates

The product is sold in plastic containers, approximately 4 inches cube. See attached photographs.

They are sold at the following stores:

A&P, Grand Union, Stop & Shop, Shaws, Hannaford, Donnelans, Foodmaster, Truccis, Roche Brothers

The product listed below is distributed in bulk to food service establishments (restaurants, etc)

* Jonathan’s 5lb Bulk Alfalfa in waxed 18”x11” cardboard cartons - all codes
* Jonathan’s 5lb Bulk Organic Alfalfa Sprouts in waxed 18” x 11” cardboard cartons - all codes
* Jonathan’s 4lb Bulk Alfalfa Sprouts in bags 2lb bags in a 13”x9”x6” cardboard carton – all codes

The products containing alfalfa sprouts were distributed in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware.

The product being recalled was identified through routine sampling as part of the USDA Microbiological Data Program.

Consumers who have purchased Jonathans Sprouts products containing alfalfa sprouts are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 508-763-2577.

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Sprouts: An ideal emergency preparedness food

April 13, 2011 at 11:43 pm (Food and drink, Global Events, Health and wellness, Uncategorized)
Tags: alfalfa, bean, emergency, food, preparedness, seeds, shortages, sprouts, storage

Sprouts: An ideal emergency preparedness food.

NaturalNews.com
Originally published March 23 2011
Sprouts: An ideal emergency preparedness food by Sherry L. Ackerman, Ph.D.

(NaturalNews) Given the rapidity with which critical global events are unfolding, preparedness just makes good sense. The question isn’t whether or not to be prepared – it’s what to be prepared for? Earthquakes, nuclear accidents, tsunamis, power outages and gasoline shortages have been on this week’s menu. Each, of course, has its own specific type of preparedness protocols. But, no matter what kind of unexpected event looms large, there is always a need for food. Food shortages could result from any of the aforementioned potential scenarios, as well as from any number of scenarios that I haven’t mentioned. There are any number of ways to approach food shortage preparedness, but my preferred method is sprouts! Sprouts are, in my mind, the number one, perfect survival ration. I think that sprouting seeds belong in every household’s emergency kit. Let’s look at some of the reasons that I think this.

First of all, sprouting seeds have a long storage life. Sprouting seeds can be stored up to four years at a stable temperature of 70 degrees F. They are small and lightweight and, thus, don’t take up vast amounts of storage space. You can buy them already prepared for storage or simply buy them in bulk from any reputable health food store and put them in airtight, waterproof storage containers yourself. Glass canning jars with rubber-ringed lids are a good option. You want something that is rodent proof, as little critters like seeds, too! Once sealed, the sprouting seeds can be stashed in a cool, dry, dark corner of the attic or pantry for years.

The next reason that I think sprouts are ideal emergency rations is their rich, digestible energy, bioavailable vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, beneficial enzymes and phytochemicals. Let’s face it: if you are involved in an emergency situation, you want healthy, nutritious food. Crises are not the time to have to rely on empty calories. Once germinated, sprouts provide a good supply of vitamins A, E & C plus B complex. Like enzymes, vitamins serve as bioactive catalysts to assist in the digestion and metabolism of food and the release of energy. They are also essential for the healing and repair of cells. During World War II, considerable interest in sprouts developed as a result of an article written by Dr. Clive M. McKay, Professor of Nutrition at Cornell University. Dr. McKay opened his article with this dramatic announcement: “Wanted! A vegetable that will grow in any climate, will rival meat in nutritive value, will mature in 3 to 5 days, may be planted any day of the year, will require neither soil nor sunshine, will rival tomatoes in vitamin C, will be free of waste in preparation and can be cooked with little fuel and as quickly as a … chop.” Well, there you have it!

Another reason that sprouts get my vote is the fact that they are extremely inexpensive. You are not tying up massive financial resources in preparedness. For example, you can get alfalfa, wheat, rye, barley, triticale, spelt, kamut, quinoa, sesame or amaranth for roughly eight dollars a pound. And, a pound of sprouting seeds is going to yield buckets of sprouts! If you want the Cadillac of sprouts, you could get broccoli sprouts for somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty-five dollars a pound. Famous for their antioxidant content, broccoli sprouts can contain up to fifty times the sulfurophane found in mature broccoli, by weight, so you get as much antioxidant in one ounce of broccoli sprouts as you would if you ate three pounds of fully grown broccoli.

There is plenty of variety available, too, with sprouts. There are dozens of types of sprouts from mung and adzukis to mustard or fenugreek. If you stashed away a handful of this and a handful of that, you would have plenty of variety to keep your emergency fare from becoming monotonous. Sprouts are really versatile and can be used in green smoothies, in place of vegetables, or in all kinds of salads. In an emergency situation, they can be mixed with stored nuts and seeds to make delicious, fortifying living food salads.

One of the highlights of sprouts is the ease of growing them. And, they can be grown 100 percent indoors, requiring very limited space. While they are growing, they do not need any refrigeration. And, under emergency conditions, they can be eaten directly from your “kitchen garden.” All that is needed to grow them is a glass jar with a mesh lid. Or, you can opt for growing them in a large glass baking dish on paper towels. They have to be rinsed several times a day, so having clean water on hand is, of course, imperative. A lot of good information about various methods for growing sprouts are available on the internet and you can choose a method that will fit your particular circumstances.

Sprout seeds are easy to store. The germinated sprouts are packed with nutrition, alive, inexpensive, varied, and easy to grow in your “kitchen garden.” They are ideal for your preparedness kit. But, why wait for a crisis? Why not just start enjoying them now?

Article Link: http://www.naturalnews.co/031805_sprouts_emergency_food.html

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