The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has said producers of sprouted seeds should make efforts to tighten safety measures with their products, as the seeds, when consumed uncooked, can cause devastating outbreaks of illness, as witnessed this year when thousands of people in France and Germany were sickened by outbreaks of E.Coli. image expired

Harmful bacteria, most commonly E.Coli and Salmonella, can contaminate seeds intended for sprouting during production, storage and distribution, the EFSA BIOHAZ panel warned in a statement made yesterday. Contaminated irrigation water, soil particles and transfer from people working with seeds can all risk passing on disease, as the hot, humid conditions the seeds require to germinate are also favoured by bacteria.

In its statement, the EFSA said, "Preventing initial contamination during production, storage and distribution of seeds is of the foremost importance as sprouted seeds have the potential to cause large food-borne outbreaks." The organisation reiterated that consumption of raw or minimally processed sprouted seeds poses safety concerns.

The EFSA made several recommendations for producers after evaluating the public health risk posed by sprouting seeds. It recommended producers take measures to ensure safe use of fertilizers and irrigation water, minimize contamination of seeds with soil during harvest and prevent mechanical damage of seeds. Sprouted seeds have long been popular in continental Europe, though their popularity has grown in the UK over the past few years.

The Agency also called for producers to ensure that any transported, processed and stored seeds are handled under conditions which minimise the potential for microbial contamination and any damaged seeds are removed.

In June outbreaks of E.Coli in France and Germany affected thousands of people, killing 49; the two outbreaks were linked back to fenugreek seeds imported from Egypt. A ban on certain imported seeds from the country still stands, having been renewed by the European Commission.

As the source of the outbreaks took several weeks to establish, the EFSA is also seeking improvements on traceability for seed lots.