Written by Melanie Kozlan, Four Green Steps

Once known for the nutritious value, sprouts seem to be causing more harm than good with a growing number of reports of bacterial contamination. Some restaurants have already began to pull sprouts from their menu:

From NPR:

This week, the Beaumont, Tex.-based Jason's Deli chain announced that it would no longer serve fresh sprouts, citing frequent recalls due to bacterial contamination.

"We've lost confidence in sprouts," Daniel Helfman, the chain's director of public relations, told The Packer, a produce trade journal. The chain has more than 230 restaurants around the country.

Meanwhile, European health officials met in Brussels this week to discuss the serious outbreak caused by sprouts last year. More than 50 people died and thousands were sickened in Germany and France, after eating fenugreek sprouts contaminated with E. Coli 0104.

Image courtesy of Creative Commons.

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