What to Do About Sprouts?

Sprouts grow in warm, wet conditions favorable for the growth of microbes like E. coli and salmonella. Safflower sprouts shown here. (David Karp / For The Times)

So now we know that eating sprouts can kill us!  This is probably a danger akin to being struck by lightning for most people who wouldn't eat a sprout under any circumstances, but as women food shoppers who are also eaters of salad, veggie burgers, and Chinese food in restaurants, there are some facts about sprouts worth knowing now that the mystery of what killed and sickened all those people in Germany earlier this year has settled down.

1.  Organic doesn't help.  The source of the E.coli contaminated sprouts in Germany was an organic grower.  While the contamination may have been from water used to grow the sprouts or another source, it could also have been inside the seeds themselves.  Only testing after the seeds sprouted would reveal the bacteria.


2.  Sprouts are especially hard to grow, store, and prepare without risk.  "[Sprouts] can be part of a very healthy diet potentially," says Christopher Braden, acting director of food-borne, water-borne, and environmental diseases at the CDC.  "However, sprouts are not a huge [crop] yet we have seen quite a number of outbreaks in them."  He suggests that there are a lot of other healthy foods you could eat with lower risk.

3.   Tell your server or host "no sprouts please".  While the news about the German sprout deaths is still current, you will probably find that sprouts are not on your favorite salad bar or appearing in your veggie sandwich, or that you will at least be asked if you want sprouts.  But they will reappear after a while, and home and restaurant cooks may assume, even now, that none of this applies to sprouts in hot dishes like stir frys.

Are cooked sprouts safe?  The CDC recommends "Cook sprouts thoroughly to kill harmful bacteria."  WNL knows what cook thoroughly means for pork and hamburger, but what on earth does it mean for sprouts?  And why bother to eat them at all with the crunch and the vitamins gone?

For more on this subject, including a sympathetic discussion about the efforts of conscientious sprout growers in the US to make sprouts safe, WNL recommends this well-researched article in The LA Times.