Personal Injury Law

Is it time to treat sprouts like raw milk?

By Bill Marler, Esq.

Raw milk is banned from interstate sale and is limited in many others because of the risk of foodborne illness. Yet, sprouts, which have been causing a number of outbreaks recently, and over the decades, can be sold and bought whenever and wherever.

Bruce Blythe of the Packer exploded this in his article a few hours ago – 'Sproutbreak: Concerns mount over sandwich, salad topping."  Here are a few choice points:

Salmonella and E. coli outbreaks linked to tainted sprouts have been 'a recognized problem for decades,' said Mike Doyle, director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia. 'I consider sprouts to be among the most risky foods sold at retail.' …

Tainted sprouts have caused at least 39 illness outbreaks since 1990, according to Bill Marler, a Seattle-based product liability attorney. Marler has sued sprout companies on behalf of more than 100 people sickened in recent outbreaks. The sprout industry 'hasn't seemed to be able to get a handle' on bacterial contamination controls the way the leafy greens industry has, Marler said. 'They're not doing enough to combat the problem. They need to come up with some strategy to make their product safer.' 'Retail and grocery stores need to rethink whether they should sell the product,' he said.

It is an interesting question.

Full post as published by Marler Blog on January 15, 2011 (boomark / email).