The danger of serving fresh spouts has once again come to national attention as the FDA has recently issued a warning letter to the national sandwich chain Jimmy John’s. Sprouts have often been the culprit in foodborne illness outbreaks, and this recent warning should serve to alert all ServSafe managers to the dangers of serving this popular vegetable.
Can ServSafe Food Managers Safely Serve Fresh Spouts?
The FDA’s warning to Jimmy John’s came after 22 people in Iowa were stricken with E.coli after including sprouts as an ingredient in their sandwich. This wasn’t, however, an isolated incident involving one location as sprouts served to customers from several different franchise locations have sickened customers in the past.
This specific sandwich franchise has been implicated in more than its share of outbreaks involving sprouts and E.coli or salmonella. Most recently, the chain was implicated in s February 2019 E.coli outbreak in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and in the past was blamed for a six-state outbreak in 2014 and an 11-state outbreak in 2012. As a result, the company has taken steps to stop the outbreak by removing sprouts as an offering at all of their locations.
With such a variety of locations and circumstances, but the same ingredient, what steps could have been taken to prevent the spread of illness?
In cases such as these involving such a sensitive ingredient, ServSafe managers should first look to where they source their ingredients from. Sprouts are commonly contaminated where they are grown and many times rinsing and washing cannot remove the bacteria before the ingredients have been served to guests.
If it’s so hard to prevent the spread of illness from sprouts once the ingredient reaches your establishment, what should ServSafe managers do to keep this ingredient safe?
The first step is to know your source. Keep an eye on recalls and outbreaks from farms and other companies that supply sprouts. If your provider has a track record of shipping contaminated product, you may wish to search for a sprout supplier that hasn’t been implicated in any foodborne illness cases.
Finally, make sure you inspect all incoming spouts and look for signs of contamination. Some signs may include traces of dirt or other contaminants, brown or sickly looking roots and musty smells. These are three common signs that your sprouts may be contaminated or not as fresh as they claim to be. With an ingredient such as fresh sprouts, you’re better off not serving them rather than taking a chance on a shipment that has the potential of sickening your guests.
Do you, as a Servsafe manager, serve sprouts in your establishment?