Oct. 13, 1999
Utah restaurants are posting signs, notifying customers they will no longer serve sprouts on sandwiches or salads.
The move comes after the Center for Disease Control warned of a risk of E-coli contamination.
The story from Science Specialist Ed Yeates.
In recent days customers have noticed the sign posted in the Flying Skillet Restaurant.
Even though it specializes in deli sandwiches and salads, sprouts are no longer part of the trimmings.
And Flying Skillet is not alone. The Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration are warning all consumers that a large proportion of the population more susceptible to salmonella or ecoli poisoning should no longer eat the products.
Craig Nichols / State Epidemiologist: "Do not eat sprouts if you are elderly, if you are a child, if you are immunocompromised, because you cannot guarantee that they are free from bacterial contamination."
Even though researchers say products like broccoli sprouts are extremly healthy - containing huge amounts of cancer-fighting antioxidants -- some consumers are shying away from all sprout products because of public health warnings.
Although contamination has been linked mainly to alfalfa, clover and white radish sprouts, restaurants have decided to discontinue all products.
Scott Dean/ Owner, Flying Skillet: "We have had a couple of people who've said they would actually sign a disclaimer of sort that if we would just put sprouts on their sandwiches-- But even those, you would be tied up in litigation and it's really not worth it. I unfortunately would rather lose a couple of customers due to that, than have some people get sick."
Public health says the problem for consumers is that if they should buy a batch of sprouts contaminated with salmonella or E-Coli, they can't simply wash away the organism under the tap. They can't wash the vegetable with soap and water. They could boil the sprouts, but who likes boiled sprouts?
