Jimmy John’s Alfalfa Sprouts Linked to Salmonella Outbreak

An outbreak of salmonella poisoning, which has sickened at least 89 people throughout the United States, has been linked to alfalfa sprouts served at Jimmy John’s restaurant outlets. 

The FDA is warning the public not to eat Alfalfa Sprouts and Spicy Sprouts from Tiny Greens Organic Farm in Urbana, Illinois. The greens have been linked to a multistate salmonella outbreak with 50 people falling ill in Illinois alone.

The outbreak has also sickened people in Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Indiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. Many of those who fell ill ate sprouts served at Jimmy John’s restaurants.

The FDA warns that the Tiny Greens brand Alfalfa Sprouts and Spicy Sprouts, which contain alfalfa sprouts mixed with radish and clover sprouts, were distributed in 4-ounce and 5 pound containers. Restaurants and food service operators should not serve these sprouts and any consumers or retailers who have some should throw them away in a sealed container, investigators say.

The outbreak is still under investigation by the FDA, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Illinois Department of Public Health, as well as other state health departments. The Jimmy John’s restaurant chain has suspended serving the sprouts at their Illinois locations.

Salmonella is a type of bacteria that attacks the gastrointestinal tract, causing mild to severe food poisoning. For most healthy adults, symptoms of food poisoning from salmonella typically resolve after a few days or weeks. However, young children, the elderly, and individuals with compromised immune systems have an increased risk of suffering severe food poisoning after ingesting the bacteria. If not properly treated, some cases of salmonella food poisoning can lead to hospitalization, dehydration or death.

The strain of salmonella involved in this outbreak, Salmonella Serotype I 4,5,12,i-, is an antibiotic resistant strain. About a quarter of those who have fallen ill have required hospitalization.

This is the third time this year that alfalfa sprouts have been linked to a food poisoning outbreak. In July, a Specialty Farms alfalfa sprout recall was announced in six states after some sprouts were found to be contaminated with Listeria. Another salmonella poisoning outbreak that sickened at least 22 people in 10 states led to a recall of alfalfa sprouts at Wal-Mart, Trader Joes and other retailers nationwide in May.