Salmonella Sprouts, Jimmy Johns and FDA

The FDA, in a big hurry to make it look like they've solved the salmonella sprouts problem, is making Tiny Greens, an organic sprouts farm in Urbana, IL, recall all their sprouts, even though there have been no positive results from testing their sprouts.

Jimmy Johns, the recipient of some Tiny Greens sprouts, has also voluntarily withdrawn sprouts from their sandwich ingredients, until the salmonella scare is over.

NOTE: There has been NO SALMONELLA found in either Tiny Greens or Jimmy Johns products. They've been tested, and the results were negative. No salmonella.

Instead of using scientific methods, the FDA is basing their decision on customer anecdotes. This product recall is based on circumstantial evidence, not microbiological data, which makes the FDA action highly suspect.

This is in keeping with the new lax standards for exerting federal government power, the use of "belief" instead of "reliable data" to base decisions on, as found in the dubious and detrimental Food Safety Bill.

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SEC. 208. ADMINISTRATIVE DETENTION OF FOOD.
23 (a) IN GENERAL. - Section 304(h)(1)(A) (21 U.S.C.24 334(h)(1)(A)) is amended by
(1) striking ''credible evidence or information indicating'' and inserting ''reason to believe'';

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You can read all about this in a report by the Chicago Breaking News Center entitled "FDA: Possible Salmonella in Urbana."

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The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning today for consumers to avoid alfalfa sprouts and spicy sprouts that were grown on a farm in Urbana, Ill., because of a suspected link to salmonella.

The agency said preliminary results of an investigation connect the Tiny Greens Organic Farm to a multistate outbreak of salmonella infections that started in November.

But Tiny Greens owner Bill Bagby Jr. said that not a single sample of his product or facility that was taken by the FDA or the Illinois Department of Public Health has come back positive for salmonella contamination.

"All of the testing done by IDPH [Illinois Department of Public Health] on the seeds and sprouts have come back negative," said Kelly Jakubek spokesperson for the state agency, "but we continue to work closes with the FDA and CDC on the investigation."

Tiny Greens sells at about six Chicago-area farmers markets.

FDA spokesperson Siobhan DeLancey said her agency has not yet produced a positive result from the nearly 200 samples taken from the Urbana business.

"But in this case," she said, "we don't need positive samples because the epidemiological evidence is so strong."

That evidence stems from interviews with the salmonella victims conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Most of them -- about 50 percent came from Illinois, according to the FDA -- said they ate a sandwich with sprouts on it from a Jimmy John's outlet,  according to Chris Braden director of the Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases at CDC.

Tiny Greens owner Bagby said he is distraught at the news of the FDA's consumer warning and asked why the outbreak was linked to his greens when the spectrum of infections had come from 15 states, many where he does not distribute sprouts.

"They have only linked it to Jimmy John's, not to the thousands of pounds of retail sprouts I send out in four-ounce packages and yet they are still making me do a recall," Bagby said.

"My opinion is that they want it to be over, and they don't want to do due diligence, so that they can have the illusion of keeping the public safe."

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What does Jimmy Johns sandwich chain have to say about all of this?

Tests on their sprouts have come back negative.

So again, the FDA is basing their rash actions on hearsay, not on any proof.

Read all about it at CNN "Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Alfalfa Sprouts".



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Health officials say the first cases identified date to November 1. The preliminary investigation shows a possible link to alfalfa sprouts.

"Preliminary results of this investigation indicate a link to eating alfalfa sprouts at a national sandwich chain," the CDC said in a statement.

In Illinois, where the bulk of cases have been identified, the state Department of Public Health says many of 50 sickened residents reported eating alfalfa sprouts at locations of Jimmy John's.

The founder of Jimmy John's said test results of sprouts from its main supplier tested negative.

In a letter sent to all Jimmy John's franchises, founder Jimmy John Liautaud said store locations have all come up negative for the bacteria as well.

"As a goodfaith and goodwill gesture I am asking Illinois stores to pull sprouts until the state can give us some better direction," the letter states. "We are working closely with the state and they are doing a darn good job in helping find the source. Again, no source has been found yet, this is a precautionary measure."


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READ MORE

Pantagraph "Jimmy Johns Owner Glad FDA Found Link to Tainted Sprouts"

CNN "Salmonella Found in US, Canada Prompts Parsley, Cilantro Recall"

FDA "Salmonella Fact Sheet"