Salmonella and E. Coli Infect Over 70 People in Sprouted Chia Seeds and Clover

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Wednesday that more than 70 people in the US and Canada were infected with salmonella and E. coli found in a sprouted chia seeds as well as sprouted clover.

The chia products have sickened 21 people in 12 states throughout the US as well as 34 people in Canada. The sprouted clover infected 17 people in five states, half of whom were hospitalized. These outbreaks are one of many in the past few months, with others featuring salmonella infections from pet bearded dragons, the spread of norovirus from the improper handling of food in the service industry, and salmonella contaminations in Foster Farms chicken.

Three different strains of salmonella are linked to the sprouted chia seed powder. The sprouted clover (raw sprouts) was contaminated with E. coli O121. The bacterium Shiga toxin-producing STEC, which can cause bloody diarrhea and hemolytic uremic syndrome, characterizes this strain of E. coli. The sprouts are already considered high-risk products because the moisture and warmth of the sprouting process allows bacteria to thrive. The sandwich chain Jimmy John's removed sprouts from their menu in 2012 because of the high E.coli risk in the vegetable, and experienced some issues when they brought them back this year.

The chia powder associated with the salmonella was distributed and sold by Navitas Naturals and the ground chia seeds were sold by Health Matters America. The source of the E. coli outbreak in sprouts is believed to be Evergreen Fresh Sprouts, LLC of Idaho, according to the CDC. FDA inspectors have been conducting investigations at the sprouts company.

They found that two employees used tennis rackets to scoop mung bean sprouts from a harvester and then used them again during alfalfa sprout harvesting. Another employee used a pitchfork with evident corroded metal and rough welds to transfer mung bean sprouts into plastic tubs.

The chia sprouts were contaminated with salmonella before they were dried and ground to form the powder, resulting in the issue with the chia products. The chia sprouts contain the seeds, which are picked from the sprout and sold individually or they are ground to form the chia powder. The CDC is recommending that consumers to do eat any of the recalled products that contain chia.