Complain about a product or service

Alfalfa Sprouts Recalled in Salmonella Outbreak

New incident reported in Washington state

September 9, 2008

Food Safety • FDA Rolls Out Food Safety Plan • Brits Get Treats, Yanks Get Tricks From Food Companies • Hartz Recalls Rawhide Chips After Possible Salmonella Contamination • Vermont Firm Recalls Possibly-Tainted Ground Beef • Beef Sent to Puerto Rico May Be Contaminated with E. coli • Technology Offers Revolution in Food Safety Testing • Chinese Gorillas Fall Ill as Melamine Scandal Widens • Alfalfa Sprouts Recalled in Salmonella Outbreak • CDC Gives "All Clear" On Salmonella Outbreak • One Death Reported in Oklahoma E. coli Outbreak • Feds Approve Irradiation of Spinach, Lettuce • FDA Issues Warning About Frozen Seafood • Whole Foods Extends Beef Recall • Whole Foods Recalls Fresh Ground Beef • Six New E. coli Cases Reported In Massachusetts • FDA Says It Found Salmonella Source In Mexico • U.S. Peppers Get Clean Bill Of Health • Jalapeño Peppers from Mexico Recalled • Tomatoes Get the All-Clear From FDA • Salmonella Toll Quietly Climbs • USDA to List Retailers in Meat Recalls • Emergency Regs Needed for Tracking Produce, Food Groups Say • Nebraska Beef Recall Expanded to 5.3 Million Pounds • Consumer Group Presses Feds to Fix Food System • Kroger Expands Ground Beef Recall • Salmonella Outbreak is Biggest Ever Tied to Produce • E. coli Outbreak May Be Linked To Kroger Ground Beef • Salmonella: Trickier Than Imagined • Congressional Report Faults FDA Inaction • Tomatoes Off the Menu as Feds Search for Source • FDA 'Inaction' Blamed for Salmonella Outbreak • Restaurants Shun Tomatoes In Wake Of Salmonella Outbreak • FDA Warns Of Tomato-Linked Salmonella • USDA Bans Downer Cow Slaughter • CDC Links 2006 Salmonella Outbreak to Dog Food --- • More ...

With the Salmonella-St. Paul outbreak finally contained, the Food and Drug Administration reports 13 cases of Salmonella Typhimirium in Oregon and Washington State. The outbreak is apparently linked with the consumption of raw alfalfa sprouts.

Sprouters Northwest, Inc. of Kent, Washington is recalling its alfalfa sprout products - including alfalfa sprouts, onion sprouts, and salad sprouts - because they may be linked to the recent outbreak.

Salmonella Typhimiriumis an organism that 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 maybe 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 - swelling of the lining of the heart - and arthritis. Individuals who may have experienced any of the above symptoms after eating any of the recalled products should contact their health care provider.

The recalled sprouts were distributed in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska in retail stores and through wholesale produce suppliers. The products are Sprouters Northwest brand and include all lot numbers with a best by date of 9/17/08 or earlier of:

• 5oz alfalfa sprout cups UPC - 033383701417

• 4oz alfalfa clamshells UPC - 815098001088

• 1lb bags of alfalfa sprouts UPC - 079566123508

• 2lb trays of alfalfa sprouts UPC - 079566123492

• 5oz salad cups UPC - 033383702674

• 4oz salad clamshells UPC - 815098002061

• 5oz alfalfa onion sprout cups UPC - 033383701905

• 4oz onion sprout clamshells UPC - 815098002054

Sprouters Northwest said it is working closely with state officials and the FDA to determine the cause of this problem and what steps can be taken to combat it.

Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.