Protect against Salmonella by washing and cooking bean sprouts

People are being urged to follow advice from the Food Standards Agency that raw bean sprouts should be properly washed and cooked before eating.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has found strong evidence that there is a link between the consumption of raw or under-cooked bean sprouts and a recent increase in cases of Salmonella Bareilly infection.

There have been 129 cases of Salmonella Bareilly infection since the beginning of August this year.

Professor Qutub Syed from the HPA’s Local and Regional Services Division chairs the multi-agency Outbreak Control Team that is investigating the cases. Professor Syed said: “Questioning people with confirmed Salmonella Bareilly infection produced some evidence of a link with bean sprouts and we have now isolated Salmonella from a bean sprout sample. Although we won’t know for a few days if it is the same strain of Salmonella as in the human cases, it is an important development in the investigation.

“It is more important than ever for caterers and people who buy bean sprouts to eat at home to ensure that these products are properly prepared and cooked until they are piping hot unless they are clearly labeled as “ready-to-eat”. 
 
Salmonella can cause gastro-enteritis which can be severe in babies and young children.

Should the infection spread to the blood stream it can be fatal.