Sprout Outbreak Hits 76 Cases in 16 States, and Now Sprouting Seeds Are Recalled Too

Sprouts were never a staple in my fridge, but they are in a lot of meal-prep rotations — a handful on top of a grain bowl, a layer in a wrap, the thing that makes a sad Thursday sandwich look like it was made on purpose. If that’s you, the numbers on this outbreak are worth five minutes of your time, because they moved again this month.

Where the outbreak stands

As of October 1, the CDC counts 76 people sick across 16 states, with six hospitalizations and no deaths. One more state and 21 more patients were added in that update. The illnesses started as far back as May 31 and ran through September 7.

What makes this one unusual is that it’s two pathogens at once. Sixty-four people were infected with E. coli — several different serotypes — nine with Salmonella Agona, and three unlucky people with both. Affected states include Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin.

The products pulled so far

Everything Sprouts LLC of Minneapolis started the recall back on August 22, covering alfalfa sprouts sold under the Calco and Everything Sprouts brands; it widened on August 28 to take in the Robust Radish mix, Crunchy Protein Sprout mix and Zesty Garlic mix. Investigators traced it to a single lot of alfalfa sprouting seed, lot SAL2-24JB, and Berlin Seeds of Millersburg, Ohio recalled 950 pounds of that seed on September 23.

And now the seed packets

This is the part I didn’t see coming. On October 5, EAK Distribution of Casper, Wyoming recalled its 8-ounce Home Grown Green Sprouting Calabrese Broccoli Seeds, Heirloom — UPC 850056627443, production lot code AUG172026 embossed on the top seal — over possible Salmonella. Those went out nationwide through Amazon.

The chain is worth understanding: the seed supplier told EAK that this seed had been used by a sprout grower whose finished product was already under FDA investigation, and on September 28 the FDA confirmed Salmonella in a broccoli seed sample. EAK says there have been no reported illnesses from its own product. Production and distribution were halted.

Why sprouts keep doing this

I used to assume sprouts were risky because they’re sold raw. That’s only half of it. The real problem is the seed: bacteria sitting on a dry seed survive storage happily, and then you take that seed and give it days of warmth, moisture and no light. Those are growing conditions for the sprout and for the pathogen at the same time. Rinsing the finished sprouts doesn’t undo that, and neither does growing them in your own jar — which is exactly why a seed packet recall is as serious as a packaged-sprout recall.

What to do this week

Check any sprouting seed packet you own for that EAK lot code, and don’t eat recalled sprouts — throw them out or return them.
Wash the jar, tray, lid and counter with hot soapy water, or run what you can through the dishwasher.
If sprouts are a regular in your prep containers and anyone in the house is pregnant, over 65, very young or immunocompromised, this is a good moment to leave them out entirely.

Filling the gap in a prepped lunch

The honest answer is that nothing replaces the crunch of sprouts one-for-one. What does hold up all week is shredded cabbage, thin-sliced celery, or quick-pickled red onion — all of them stay crisp in a container for days longer than sprouts ever did. My chopped Italian sub already runs on that logic: the crunch comes from a chopped, dressed slaw-style mix rather than leaves that wilt by Wednesday. And in a Greek chicken bowl, chopped cucumber does the same job with zero food-safety homework attached.

Symptoms worth acting on

Shiga toxin-producing E. coli tends to show up three to four days after exposure; Salmonella anywhere from six hours to six days. Call a doctor for bloody diarrhea, a fever above 102°F, vomiting that keeps you from holding down liquids, or dehydration signs like dizziness and a dry mouth — and mention sprouts, because diagnosing these takes a specific test.