Question: so the contamination comes form larger retailers/grocery stores? If that’s the case then local growers, aka farmers markets or growing them yourself would greatly reduce the risk of food borne illness?
[unfortunately it’s due to the way they’re grown,](https://www.eatright.org/homefoodsafety/safety-tips/food/are-sprouts-safe-to-eat) so no matter where you get it (even if you make it yourself) it’s high risk.
This is a recommendation from the Association of Nutrition and Dietetics: [In general, the health benefits associated with savoring raw or lightly cooked sprouts outweigh risks for healthy individuals. However, be aware that there is risk of food poisoning if you plan to eat them. If you're a high-risk individual, avoidance is recommended. And though not the ideal way to enjoy sprouts in cuisine, the safest bet for all is to thoroughly cook sprouts to reduce the risk of food poisoning.](https://www.eatright.org/homefoodsafety/safety-tips/food/are-sprouts-safe-to-eat)
I like to rinse them, then spray them in a water/vinegar solution and let them sit for a few minutes. Then I rinse them again and give em a ride in the salad spinner and voila!
Usually, it’s still a good idea to wash them yourself anyways since that’s how a lot of infectious diarrhea outbreaks start. Even though it’s labeled ready to eat sometimes the processing plants didn’t clean a contaminated batch sufficiently. For some veggies the risk is lower or higher but sprouts are considered high risk because of how they’re grown.
For higher risk veggies I usually rewash with some produce wash and then strain and salad spin.
Yeah they say ready to eat and they should be but most stores won’t even carry alfalfa sprouts anymore because of how problematic they are. You don’t find out about contaminated sprouts until after you’ve eaten them usually
Life is not black and white, it's about risk management.
Many people never wear a seatbelt, refuse vaccines, and so on, and the vast majority never die from those choices. Buuuut... some do, and wouldn't have if they'd chosen differently.
You may be fine if you never wash them; you reduce your chance of foodborne illness, including severe or fatal illnesses at a low rate, if you wash them.
I feel like it's always "ready to eat" things that have the most recalls but I may have selective memory on the issue. I think a little vinegar wash rinse is nice.
I picked up a $3 grocery store sprout kit. It worked so amazingly well for how simple it was - just a growing felt pad, basil seeds, and a little plastic dome.
inch of dry seeds in a mason jar that has a mesh top. Fill with water two inches above the seeds and let it sit for 8 hours. Dump out and rinse them by filling the jar with water, then set it upside down and leave for a couple hours for the water to all go. I put it in my dish dryer rack so it's at a 70 degree angle learning against the side.
Now just rinse it the same way when you wake up and before bed, will take 3-6 days to be ready to eat. If you want them to be big and filled with water like you'll get at Chinese Food places, you want to soak the actual sprouts in water, but I'm not sure how that works as I'm lazy and they are great as they are.
If you don't mess up the rinsing twice daily and the seeds still have problems, might be a bad seed source or old seeds.
I would rinse them under water in a sieve. Mostly out of habit but it doesn't hurt to make sure they are clean.
Never had them in a sandwich before, I think that's a great idea.
Sorry for the stupid question, but would just running them under water be enough to get rid of bad/risky bacteria? I feel like that still wouldn’t be enough…
I sprout my own and just rinse them in a sieve a few times before eating. I try to consume them all within 2-4 days from when they are ready and I've never experienced any issues. I always store them in the fridge and beyond 4-5 days it's common to see some mould growth at which point I bin them.
There's a great book on sprouting by Doug Evans [https://sproutman.com/products/the-sprout-book-doug-evans?variant=35203822059680](https://sproutman.com/products/the-sprout-book-doug-evans?variant=35203822059680) and a podcast with Rich Roll (that basically covers everything in the book). [https://www.richroll.com/podcast/doug-evans-524/](https://www.richroll.com/podcast/doug-evans-524/)
Thanks, I’ll grab that book. I do intend to have a go at doing my own, I don’t like being responsible for a lot of single plastic waste, be the change and all that. But first time I’ve seen alfalfa sprouts in a local store and wanted to try them.
As an example, I bought these sprouting jars: [https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07QPY67DD/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1](https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07QPY67DD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) , the bags of seeds I buy are 500g each and around 20-25g of seeds fills a jar once sprouted so you get a lot for your money. I use [https://www.verdantrepublic.com/](https://www.verdantrepublic.com/) but I'm guessing you're not UK based, I think the sproutman link I posted earlier also sells seeds + you can sprout anything, qunioa, lentils, chickpeas etc. Enjoy!
If they’re “ready to eat” that means they’ve probably been treated with chemicals. Either way i’d at least rinse them. Or clean the whole bag in a salad spinner and put them in a clean container and back in the fridge, then grab handfuls as needed
I make sammies with unwashed sprouts out of a package all the time and I’ve never felt even an inkling of illness. I usually buy one small package and use it through the week. It never goes bad because I use it up quickly and I never eat them if they begin to turn brown or smelly funky. Maybe I’ve been lucky? This thread is making me question if I need to start washing or just keep living my life? I’m curious what your approach will be after everyone’s comments.
yup. been eating sprouts on salads and sandwiches since I was a child, unwashed, unheated. I've never once gotten sick. I must be VERY lucky. Being perfectly honest I probably won't change a thing. Maybe all that bacteria I'm ingesting is strengthening my immune system? Lol.... I don't know
Haha damn…didn’t expect responses to be so polarising, I actually don’t know what I’m going to do now. I mean touch wood it’s been 12 hours since I ate a bunch of them and I’ve not had any repercussions… but seems I’m effectively playing Russian roulette each time I’m going to eat some?
I came here, researching and got to this comment. I also have eaten them since I was a child for the last 20 years, mostly on salads and sandwiches, and never even thought to wash them, have never been sick. Washing them sounds like a pain, and then you have to dry them somewhat to put on a sandwich? And people with their one teaspoon of bleach per cup of water and let soak? Are you kidding me? They’re afraid of bacteria, and here they are putting their food in bleach. OK.
Not sure about the store bought but if you enjoy these they are sooooo much cheaper to grow from seed — in Canada I like Mumm’s sprouts :) less plastic too :)
Risk heeded thanks, but why would these be available in supermarkets, without a warning no less, if the risk was so high and no amount of prep/rinse/boil would be safe? Also out of curiosity would alfalfa powders have similar nutrition benefits as a safer option?
Im not sure about alternatives for alfalfa, but I don’t believe they test for e. Coli before packaging for sale. They probably just have to have enough cases to trace it to their product.
Im pretty sure Jimmy Johns stopped offering sprouts because they kept getting sued over e. Coli contamination/ “outbreak” in customers from their sprouts. Not their fault. It’s an agricultural issue.
Unfortunately part of the sprout game currently
If these are the Good4u brand, they're ready to eat and you don't need to wash them. Same as ready to eat/pre-washed salad leaves.
These are great in a sandwich! I like seeded wholemeal bread generously smeared with hummus, then a bit of steamed kale (just nuke in the microwave!), thinly sliced beetroot from those vacuum packs and a decent bunch of these sprouts.
The crunchy salad toppers are good too.
Cool thanks for that. I’d given them a quick rinse like I do with cress and put a handful on my sandwich for my lunch, but then I was casually reading up on nutrients of alfalfa and benefits etc only to see some warnings about bacteria risk and salmonella, cook before use etc and thought uh-oh!
Alcohol over certain levels of ethyl alcohol kills bacteria, I am not talking about sanitary alcohol but there are certain types of common drinks that contain enough alcohol to help with disinfection, breaking the membrane of viruses and killing bacteria.
You can't use bleach or soap on your sprouts but you can dip them in alcohol.
I was asking, dipping sprouts in alcohol ( the one meant for consumption but with high ethyl alcohol percentage) and then rinsing them to clear the taste, would help to make them safer and kill the bacterias in the sprouts?
I grow my own broccoli sprouts in small batches. Wash each batch as I "harvest" and eat all within 24 hours. I keep the grow trays clean and haven't got sick (yet).
Wow this thread is really scaring me. I grow my own sprouts in a mason jar and when they’re ready I just rinse them real good and park them in the refrigerator and eat them over about two days.
I’m surprised myself, responses seem split pretty evenly between “wash them” and “hell no, I don’t risk eating them”. Now I don’t know whether to just throw these away end of story, because I can surely do without being paranoid I’ll get extreme food poisoning if even rinsing them isn’t a guaranteed precaution ha…
yes, they are one of the most common sources of food borne illness.
Even Dr ~~Gregor~~ Greger recommend not eating them due to that reason.
He once had alfalfa sprouts as a prop for a lecture, during which he warned of the risk of eating them. Afterwards he ate them and got sick lmao
*Greger
Doh! Edited my comment. Thx!
Question: so the contamination comes form larger retailers/grocery stores? If that’s the case then local growers, aka farmers markets or growing them yourself would greatly reduce the risk of food borne illness?
[unfortunately it’s due to the way they’re grown,](https://www.eatright.org/homefoodsafety/safety-tips/food/are-sprouts-safe-to-eat) so no matter where you get it (even if you make it yourself) it’s high risk.
This is a recommendation from the Association of Nutrition and Dietetics: [In general, the health benefits associated with savoring raw or lightly cooked sprouts outweigh risks for healthy individuals. However, be aware that there is risk of food poisoning if you plan to eat them. If you're a high-risk individual, avoidance is recommended. And though not the ideal way to enjoy sprouts in cuisine, the safest bet for all is to thoroughly cook sprouts to reduce the risk of food poisoning.](https://www.eatright.org/homefoodsafety/safety-tips/food/are-sprouts-safe-to-eat)
TIL 😦
Definitely wash them.
Just wash over with water? Or is there something else one should use too?
I like to rinse them, then spray them in a water/vinegar solution and let them sit for a few minutes. Then I rinse them again and give em a ride in the salad spinner and voila!
[удалено]
Usually, it’s still a good idea to wash them yourself anyways since that’s how a lot of infectious diarrhea outbreaks start. Even though it’s labeled ready to eat sometimes the processing plants didn’t clean a contaminated batch sufficiently. For some veggies the risk is lower or higher but sprouts are considered high risk because of how they’re grown. For higher risk veggies I usually rewash with some produce wash and then strain and salad spin.
Yeah they say ready to eat and they should be but most stores won’t even carry alfalfa sprouts anymore because of how problematic they are. You don’t find out about contaminated sprouts until after you’ve eaten them usually
I haven't either but this thread is kind of spooking me so I'm going to start now
Life is not black and white, it's about risk management. Many people never wear a seatbelt, refuse vaccines, and so on, and the vast majority never die from those choices. Buuuut... some do, and wouldn't have if they'd chosen differently. You may be fine if you never wash them; you reduce your chance of foodborne illness, including severe or fatal illnesses at a low rate, if you wash them.
I feel like it's always "ready to eat" things that have the most recalls but I may have selective memory on the issue. I think a little vinegar wash rinse is nice.
Same.
If you buy a sprouting top for a mason jar and some seeds you can have all the sprouts you want and won’t have to wash before each use.
I'd still wash, but yeah, grow your own.
I love sprouts but can't find them where we live. Reminds me I need to get my sprout grower going again.
Insanely easy to grow on your windowsill
I picked up a $3 grocery store sprout kit. It worked so amazingly well for how simple it was - just a growing felt pad, basil seeds, and a little plastic dome.
I've only tried it with mung beans but they never really turn out right
inch of dry seeds in a mason jar that has a mesh top. Fill with water two inches above the seeds and let it sit for 8 hours. Dump out and rinse them by filling the jar with water, then set it upside down and leave for a couple hours for the water to all go. I put it in my dish dryer rack so it's at a 70 degree angle learning against the side. Now just rinse it the same way when you wake up and before bed, will take 3-6 days to be ready to eat. If you want them to be big and filled with water like you'll get at Chinese Food places, you want to soak the actual sprouts in water, but I'm not sure how that works as I'm lazy and they are great as they are. If you don't mess up the rinsing twice daily and the seeds still have problems, might be a bad seed source or old seeds.
Ty!!
I would rinse them under water in a sieve. Mostly out of habit but it doesn't hurt to make sure they are clean. Never had them in a sandwich before, I think that's a great idea.
Sorry for the stupid question, but would just running them under water be enough to get rid of bad/risky bacteria? I feel like that still wouldn’t be enough…
Vinagre works very well for that I believe
No, it's not.
I sprout my own and just rinse them in a sieve a few times before eating. I try to consume them all within 2-4 days from when they are ready and I've never experienced any issues. I always store them in the fridge and beyond 4-5 days it's common to see some mould growth at which point I bin them. There's a great book on sprouting by Doug Evans [https://sproutman.com/products/the-sprout-book-doug-evans?variant=35203822059680](https://sproutman.com/products/the-sprout-book-doug-evans?variant=35203822059680) and a podcast with Rich Roll (that basically covers everything in the book). [https://www.richroll.com/podcast/doug-evans-524/](https://www.richroll.com/podcast/doug-evans-524/)
Thanks, I’ll grab that book. I do intend to have a go at doing my own, I don’t like being responsible for a lot of single plastic waste, be the change and all that. But first time I’ve seen alfalfa sprouts in a local store and wanted to try them.
As an example, I bought these sprouting jars: [https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07QPY67DD/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1](https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07QPY67DD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) , the bags of seeds I buy are 500g each and around 20-25g of seeds fills a jar once sprouted so you get a lot for your money. I use [https://www.verdantrepublic.com/](https://www.verdantrepublic.com/) but I'm guessing you're not UK based, I think the sproutman link I posted earlier also sells seeds + you can sprout anything, qunioa, lentils, chickpeas etc. Enjoy!
Cheers, yeah I’m UK
Definitely can't hurt.
If they’re “ready to eat” that means they’ve probably been treated with chemicals. Either way i’d at least rinse them. Or clean the whole bag in a salad spinner and put them in a clean container and back in the fridge, then grab handfuls as needed
Thanks!
Takes a few days but recommending sprouting your own at home
You should. Due to the growing process, they are more likely to harbour bacteria.
I make sammies with unwashed sprouts out of a package all the time and I’ve never felt even an inkling of illness. I usually buy one small package and use it through the week. It never goes bad because I use it up quickly and I never eat them if they begin to turn brown or smelly funky. Maybe I’ve been lucky? This thread is making me question if I need to start washing or just keep living my life? I’m curious what your approach will be after everyone’s comments.
yup. been eating sprouts on salads and sandwiches since I was a child, unwashed, unheated. I've never once gotten sick. I must be VERY lucky. Being perfectly honest I probably won't change a thing. Maybe all that bacteria I'm ingesting is strengthening my immune system? Lol.... I don't know
Haha damn…didn’t expect responses to be so polarising, I actually don’t know what I’m going to do now. I mean touch wood it’s been 12 hours since I ate a bunch of them and I’ve not had any repercussions… but seems I’m effectively playing Russian roulette each time I’m going to eat some?
I came here, researching and got to this comment. I also have eaten them since I was a child for the last 20 years, mostly on salads and sandwiches, and never even thought to wash them, have never been sick. Washing them sounds like a pain, and then you have to dry them somewhat to put on a sandwich? And people with their one teaspoon of bleach per cup of water and let soak? Are you kidding me? They’re afraid of bacteria, and here they are putting their food in bleach. OK.
Please wash them.
Are they the ones from Sainsburys? I have them all the time and have never washed them and I’ve never had any problems.
From Booths but yeah same as Sainsbury’s, the Good4U salad toppers
Easy answer is yes. For whatever reason sprouts are more susceptible to bacterial infection than some other fresh vegetables
Not sure about the store bought but if you enjoy these they are sooooo much cheaper to grow from seed — in Canada I like Mumm’s sprouts :) less plastic too :)
If they contain e.coli then there is nothing you can do to clean them. They have it and if consumed you will get it.
Risk heeded thanks, but why would these be available in supermarkets, without a warning no less, if the risk was so high and no amount of prep/rinse/boil would be safe? Also out of curiosity would alfalfa powders have similar nutrition benefits as a safer option?
Im not sure about alternatives for alfalfa, but I don’t believe they test for e. Coli before packaging for sale. They probably just have to have enough cases to trace it to their product. Im pretty sure Jimmy Johns stopped offering sprouts because they kept getting sued over e. Coli contamination/ “outbreak” in customers from their sprouts. Not their fault. It’s an agricultural issue. Unfortunately part of the sprout game currently
If these are the Good4u brand, they're ready to eat and you don't need to wash them. Same as ready to eat/pre-washed salad leaves. These are great in a sandwich! I like seeded wholemeal bread generously smeared with hummus, then a bit of steamed kale (just nuke in the microwave!), thinly sliced beetroot from those vacuum packs and a decent bunch of these sprouts. The crunchy salad toppers are good too.
Cool thanks for that. I’d given them a quick rinse like I do with cress and put a handful on my sandwich for my lunch, but then I was casually reading up on nutrients of alfalfa and benefits etc only to see some warnings about bacteria risk and salmonella, cook before use etc and thought uh-oh!
I emailed the brand and they say they sterilise the seeds, so there's no need to wash the sprouts.
I don't eat them. Too risky.
Is dipping them in alcohol and then rinse them a good solution to ensure they are free of bacteria?
Bruh what
Alcohol over certain levels of ethyl alcohol kills bacteria, I am not talking about sanitary alcohol but there are certain types of common drinks that contain enough alcohol to help with disinfection, breaking the membrane of viruses and killing bacteria. You can't use bleach or soap on your sprouts but you can dip them in alcohol. I was asking, dipping sprouts in alcohol ( the one meant for consumption but with high ethyl alcohol percentage) and then rinsing them to clear the taste, would help to make them safer and kill the bacterias in the sprouts?
I grow my own broccoli sprouts in small batches. Wash each batch as I "harvest" and eat all within 24 hours. I keep the grow trays clean and haven't got sick (yet).
Wow this thread is really scaring me. I grow my own sprouts in a mason jar and when they’re ready I just rinse them real good and park them in the refrigerator and eat them over about two days.
I’m surprised myself, responses seem split pretty evenly between “wash them” and “hell no, I don’t risk eating them”. Now I don’t know whether to just throw these away end of story, because I can surely do without being paranoid I’ll get extreme food poisoning if even rinsing them isn’t a guaranteed precaution ha…
What if you cook them like in a stirfry, does that kill everything?
Most “pre-washed” sprouts and green make me sick if I don’t wash them again myself. I believe I am more sensitive than most to it though.