FOOD > A Search Is Under Way for Tainted Sprout Seeds

[49 deaths and 4,100 illnesses later...2 mins read]

By WILLIAM NEUMAN

photo coutesy of:  m.ctv.ca

Published: July 5, 2011

Authorities are frantically trying to trace all of the tainted fenugreek seeds from a large shipment linked to a deadly E. coli outbreak in Europe, saying the product was distributed more widely than previously thought.

In a new report, a large shipment of organic Egyptian fenugreek seeds was distributed to dozens of companies in at least 12 European countries, the European Food Safety Authority said on Tuesday. Investigators were still trying to determine if additional countries had received some of the seeds.

“The trace forward operation is becoming complex and widespread and may take weeks,” the report said, referring to efforts to locate the seed shipments.

Investigators are now focusing on a single shipment of more than 16 tons of Egyptian fenugreek seeds that was received by a German importer in December 2009, according to the report.

Authorities say that sprouts grown from the seed, often used in salads, were responsible for two major outbreaks of a rare strain of E. coli bacteria, known as O104:H4.

Food Safety > Four Deaths in E. coli O111 Outbreak in Japan

The Japanese have already gone thru soooo much...

An outbreak of E. coli O111 in central Japan has killed two children and two adults and sickened at least 56 other people, according to news reports this week. 

The infections have been linked to a Korean raw beef dish called yukhoe, similar to tartare, served at a chain of barbecue restaurants. 

According to media reports, one boy, a preschooler, was hospitalized April 21 and died six days later in Fukui Prefecture, while the second boy, age 6, became ill on April 24 and died April 29 in Tonami, Toyama Prefecture.  Read more