Sprout Food Poisoning Lawsuit Filed in Nebraska

The first known food poisoning lawsuit over the recent salmonella outbreak linked to sprouts, was filed last week in Nebraska. Contaminated alfalfa sprouts, onion sprouts and gourmet sprouts sold by SunSport have been linked to more than 121 cases of salmonella poisoning in five states, and it is expected that additional lawsuits will be filed in the coming months.

The sprout food poisoning lawsuit was filed in Douglas County District Court in Nebraska by Stephen Beumler, who was infected with the Salmonella Saint Paul strain of bacteria after eating alfalfa sprouts manufactured by CW Sprouts, Inc.

The complaint alleges that CW Sprouts, Inc. failed to properly monitor the safety and sanitary conditions of their manufacturing facilities and failed to prevent the spread of salmonella bacteria through their SunSprouts products.

A nationwide sprout recall was issued on March 3, 2009, after Nebraska state health officials linked the sprouts to a food poisoning outbreak in Nebraska and Iowa involving the Salmonella Saintpaul bacteria.

The contaminated alfalfa sprouts, onion sprouts and gourmet sprouts were sold by retailers under the SunSprout label in 4-ounce clear plastic clamshell containers with sell-by-dates between March 2, 2009 and March 14, 2009. They were also sold in bulk service backs to distributors in Iowa and Nebraska, who may have sold the sprouts to a number of different restaurants and food service providers.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed 84 cases of salmonella poisoning and has labeled another 15 cases as probable salmonella poisoning cases that have been linked to the tainted sprouts.

The Iowa Department of Public Health has confirmed 32 Salmonella cases, while Kansas, Missouri and South Dakota have each reported several cases of other illnesses that were also caused by the same strain of salmonella bacteria.

Salmonella poisoning, or salmonellosis, can cause symptoms such as fever, nausea, diarrhea, abdominal cramps and vomiting. Young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk for becoming sick after being exposed to contaminated food.

While most healthy adults usually recover within a few weeks, salmonellosis could become life threatening if the bacteria enter the bloodstream.