A Wisconsin company is recalling contaminated Alfafa sprouts after it was linked to E. Coli breakout in the Twin Cities. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration claimed that nine people became ill.
Records showed that two were admitted to the hospital while the other seven were sick. CNN claims that the contaminated Alfafa sprouts were packed and produced by Jack & The Green Sprouts. There were no incidents of death reported. People developed symptoms beginning Jan. 17. The infected individuals were from ages 17 to 84 years old where 62% were females. The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identifed that the Alfafa sprouts were contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 (STECO157).
"Of the eight people interviewed, all eight (100%) ill people reported eating or maybe eating alfalfa sprouts or menu items containing alfalfa sprouts in the week before they became ill," CDC said in their announcement.
CDC recommends consumers not to eat Alfafa sprouts and restaurants and retailers would not sell the sprouts that came from Jack & The Green Sprouts. CDC warned that the Alfafa sprouts outbreak is not related to the Alfafa produced by Sweetwater Farms of Inman, Kansas. The Kansas-based farm is reportedly producing Alfafa sprouts associated with Salmonella Muenchen infections in various states. CDC is collaborating with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to examine the case.
"The seven Minnesota cases and at least one of the Wisconsin cases were exposed to implicated alfalfa sprouts from a variety of locations, including grocery/cooperative stores, restaurants, salad bars and commercial food service," according to the warning from Minnesota's health department reported by Food Safety News.
People who were infected with E. coli normally show symptoms incluidng stomach cramps and diarrhea, and bloody stools. They will be sick for two to five days after exposure, but it may vary and extend to one to eight days. Nearly all recover in five to 10 days, but some some may develop severe complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) that leads to kidney failure. In some cases, it can even lead to death.
Health Ofiicials were worried that the outbreak may spread in other states since Jack & The Green Sprouts is distributing the infected product in the Upper Midwest. The Kansas-based farm hasn't commented on the issue yet.
