E.coli outbreak: German beansprouts 'probable' cause

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: BBC

Locally grown beansprouts are suspected to be the source of an E.coli outbreak that has left at least 21 people dead, German officials say.

A spokesman for the Lower Saxony agriculture ministry, Gert Hahne, said it had not been conclusively proven that the sprouts were to blame.

But he told the Associated Press news agency that "all indications speak to them being" the cause.
...
The health ministry in Berlin said it was still waiting for results from tests on the beansprouts, German news agency DPA reported.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13662431

[grasswire]

1. did the seeds come from China?

Would the ecoli be on the seeds, or in the water used to sprout them?

[kestrel91316]

2. I think the Germans probably treat their water adequately. My money

is on the seeds themselves being contaminated.

[Yo_Mama]

17. A worker at the farm tested positive for E. Coli

It was probably poor sanitation.

[kestrel91316]

18. Uneducated immigrant from a Third World country, perhaps?

Or no portapotties in the fields?

[Codeine]

3. Almost always on the seeds.

It's easy to transfer bacteria to farm produce, and the conditions that make beans sprout also provide the perfect growth environment for e. coli.

[dipsydoodle]

7. The general condition which makes beans sprout

is water.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Do beansprout seeds only grow in China? (nt)

[nichomachus]

4. I hope they're planning on compensating Spain

for the slanderous damage to their economy

[aquart]

6. I thought about that, too. LOCAL sprouts.

[Overseas]

8. Big splash that it's LOCAL LOCAL farming before the stuff's been tested.

Better buy from big corporate farms that irradiate their food instead. :sarcasm:

[WatsonT]

10. Irradiated food is a good idea

it's insane that we don't do it in this country (US).

[arikara]

12. Are you serious?

When the disgusting practices of factory farming are what pollutes the food to begin with. I guess that is a quick and easy fix but I'd prefer to eat healthy food grown by sane farming practices that hasn't been killed with radiation.

If they do decide to irradiate all food I'm sure they won't label it as such any more than they label frankenfood. Pigs.

[WatsonT]

13. And what exactly does irradiated food do to you?

This should be fun.

You also oppose pasteurization don't you?

BTW, people get sick organic food as well.

/anyone who uses the term "frankenfood" seriously has already lost the argument.

[bbgrunt]

11. exactly. More fodder for corporate interests.

[bemildred]

9. Bean sprouts do not "cause" E. Coli infections.

[JCMach1]

20. Even growing them at home can expose you to ecoli and salmonella

[bemildred]

22. You yourself are full of e.coli, and salmonella is everywhere.

Humans are around 5-10% microbes by weight. But no plant "causes" e. coli, or e. coli infections. I garden a lot, and I have no doubt that I am exposed to all sorts of microbes all the time.

What is happening in Germany goes well beyond that, and if they want to find out what caused it and how to prevent it from happening again, it will be necessary to look beyond bean sprouts.

[grasswire]

14. here's a safe way to eat mung bean sprouts

Blanch them in boiling water briefly, dran then cool them in cold water. Drain again. That will kill the bugs yet retain the texture better than stir-frying at high heat.

[murielm99]

15. Thanks for that.

I used to put bean sprouts in my salads and stir fry all the time. I stopped when there was an salmonella outbreak here, from store-purchased sprouts. It was a long time ago.

I made my own sprouts for awhile, but worried about the seeds, and stopped that, too.

I love sprouts. I will try this. :)

[Snellius]

16. Sick from veggie organic health food from Germany?

Next thing you know they'll discover Twinkies cure cancer.

[JCMach1]

19. Unless you want to steam them, sprouts can be dirty little things...

I say just start throwing them in the steamer.

[fasttense]

21. Bean sprouts are notorious for getting diseases.

I looked into them to grow for our farmer's market but because of the frequent problems with disease even in home environments, I decided against them.

Sprouts are not usually grown outdoors. They are most frequently grown indoors in containers and warehouse facilities. They are given high moisture, shade conditions and warmth, perfect environments for E-coli and Salmonella. If one person has dirty hands when they touch the sprouts or open a container, it spreads fast.

So, it's not surprising that bean sprouts were the problem. I'm just surprised they didn't consider them to begin with.