Alfalfa Sprouts May Be Contaminated with Salmonella
The California Department of Public Health has warned consumers not to eat alfalfa sprouts manufactured by Salad Cosmo and J.H. Caldwell and Sons due to possible Salmonella contamination. Routine testing discovered the possible contamination and the companies have voluntarily recalled their products.
According to CDPH,
Salad Cosmo USA Corp. of Dixon, Calif., has recalled Salad Cosmo Alfalfa Sprouts distributed to retail stores, including SaveMart Supermarket and wholesale distributors throughout California and Washington.
The Salad Cosmorecalled alfalfa sprouts are packaged in 2.5-ounce plastic containers with white and green labels and clear 1-pound bags with blue labeling. Both packages are labeled Salad Cosmo Alfalfa Sprouts. The products have “Use By” codes: 0219, 0220, 0221, 0222, 0223, 0224, 0226, 0227, 0228, 0229, 0302 and 0303. The codes are located on the front label of the 2.5-ounce packages and on the left side of the 1-pound bags near the product name.
J.H. Caldwell and Sons Inc. of Maywood, Calif., has recalled Always Fresh and Alfa One alfalfa sprouts distributed to wholesale distributors and retail grocery stores in California, including Beach Market, KV Mart and Superior Warehouse, and to Trader Joes grocery stores in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.
The J.H. Caldwell and Sons recalled alfalfa sprouts are labeled Always Fresh and Alfa One. The products are packaged in 4 ounce and 5 ounce containers and in plastic bags. The recalled product codes are 202182, 202192, 202202, 202212, 202222, 202232, 202242, 202252, 202262 and 202272. The code is printed on the side of the containers and on the back of the plastic bag.
Alfalfa sprouts are especially dangerous when it comes to bacterial contamination because optimal conditions for growing the sprouts also allows for rapid bacterial growth. Because sprouts are also most often eaten raw, consumers are at greater risk to contracting infections from the bacteria, in this case Salmonella. No illnesses have been reported due to these recalls.