Beware of uncooked bean sprouts

[Lise]

Dang. I love to eat them raw in my pho soup. I gotta be more careful with them.

 

   [H3]Health Canada issues warning on uncooked sprouts[/H3] [P class=timeStamp]Updated Wed. Jan. 24 2007 4:33 PM ET

 [P class=storyAttributes]Canadian Press

 [!-- dateline --]OTTAWA[!-- /dateline --] -- Health Canada is reminding Canadians that raw or undercooked sprouts should not be eaten by children, the elderly or those with weakened immune systems.  While sprouts, including mung bean and alfalfa sprouts, are a popular low-calorie ingredient in many dishes, they may carry bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli, which can lead to serious illness, Health Canada warned in an advisory Wednesday.

 "Fresh produce can sometimes be contaminated with harmful bacteria while in the field or during storage or handling," the federal department said. "This is particularly a concern with sprouts. Many outbreaks of salmonella and E. coli infections have been linked to contaminated sprouts."

 The most recent outbreak in Canada occurred in fall 2005, when more than 648 cases of salmonella were reported in Ontario.

 "Children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to these bacteria and should not eat any raw sprouts at all," Health Canada said. "They should also avoid eating cooked sprouts unless they can be sure the sprouts have been thoroughly cooked."

 Healthy adults should also take the following precautions to reduce their risk of exposure to sprout-borne bacteria:

 [UL] [LI][FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffbf"]When purchasing sprouts, always select crisp ones that have been refrigerated and avoid those that appear dark or smell musty. [/FONT] [LI][FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffbf"]Always use tongs or a glove to place sprouts in a plastic bag. [/FONT] [LI][FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffbf"]When eating in a restaurant, always make sure sprouts are fully cooked.[/FONT][/LI][/UL] Symptoms from salmonella infection usually occur 12 to 36 hours after eating contaminated food, while symptoms from E. coli O157:H7, a potentially deadly strain, can occur within two to 10 days. Symptoms can include vomiting, stomach cramps and fever.

 People who experience these symptoms should contact a doctor immediately. In extreme cases, E. coli O157:H7 can lead to acute kidney failure.

 Health Canada recently issued a [A href="vny!://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/ill-intox/info/sprouts-pousses-e.html." target=_top]new policy [/A]on managing health risks associated with sprouted seeds and beans.


 [DIV class=topPhoto][A href="vny!://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070124/sprouts_healthcanada_070124/20070124?hub=Health"][FONT size=1]vny!://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070124/sprouts_healthcanada_070124/20070124?hub=Health[/FONT][/A]
[/DIV]

[Marik]

damn! I have to be more careful when eating those with ramen  

[purelife]

Oh, I've heard about those too.  My mom keeps telling me not to buy them, but they are tasty.  I think that it also applies to alfafa sprouts which I love in sandwiches.

[Lise]

I think it's ok as long as you wash them really well. I usually just blanch them or stir-fry them unless I eat pho. Hm. Makes me wonder if that's why they put a slice of lemon besides your bean sprouts... maybe the acidity of the lemon kills the bacteria on the sprouts.

[Russ]

Bah! The same establishment said that smoking wouldnt harm you years ago. Everything in moderation.

[purelife]

Agreed.  Nowadays we're told that all of a sudden "X" isn't good for you but X was good for you before.  And on and on and on...  We can't keep up with what's healthy and what's not.  I agree.  Everything in moderation.

[Sportsdude]

uncooked bean sprouts? whats that? my brain hasn't woken up yet.  

[Russ]

You havent seen em before? Lise has a picture on her article. I actually had to look at it, I didnt have a clue what a bean sproat was either.. although I have seen em in every grocer I have been in.

[Sportsdude]

you'd have to show me a really close up picture. Then I'd go oh those!  

[49er]

bean sprouts are grown indoors in the dark.........growers are usually growing this in a warehouse within city limits.  Contamination of vegetables are usually resulted from the contaminated field water (contaminated by animal feces) that are used for watering.........contamination of bean sprouts from this type of operation is rare as domestic water is used..    

[Sportsdude]

Ah I see now nope never had them.
 

[Lise]

I guess if you really want to be safe, you can always grow your own. I've tried it back in highschool, grab a few of those green seeds and then grow them on wet cotton wool.

[Sportsdude]

hmm if I tried to grow my own I think Ozzie would eat them first.  He likes to eat green things.  

[Lise]

They're not exactly green, SD. They start off green seeds then sprout into these white and yellow sprouts.

  I'm surprised you've never had them before. They're everywhere here.

[Sportsdude]

 If they're mostly in asian foods then nope I haven't had them.  Saint Louis although growing fast doesn't have a giant asian population (although the local library built an asian centre).  The cousine here is either Italian or Mexican influenced.

Asian Center (don't laugh this is was a 'big deal' when it opened a couple years ago)
[a href="vny!://www.slcl.lib.mo.us/branches/ac/index.html"]vny!://www.slcl.lib.mo.us/branches/ac/index.html[/a]