Farming News - EFSA officials claim Egyptian seeds source of E.Coli outbreaks

EFSA officials claim Egyptian seeds source of E.Coli outbreaks

Investigators from the European Food Safety Authority and the European Centre for Disease Control have identified the source of the devastating E. coli outbreaks in Germany and France last month, which killed at least 48 people and sickened around 4,000, as contaminated fenugreek seeds from Egypt. image expired

Officials, who cautiously identified the seeds on Wednesday (29 June) as the most likely source of the outbreak, said they entered Europe through an importer in Germany, which then sold them on to other companies.

A report, produced by EFSA officials revealed that sprouts grown from fenugreek seeds imported from Egypt in 2009 and 2010 “are implicated in both outbreaks.” However, its authors admitted that “there is still much uncertainty about whether this is truly the common cause of the infections,” as tests on the seeds had yet to find the deadly E.Coli strain O104:H4, although experts said the bacteria can contaminate one seed in thousands and is therefore extremely difficult to isolate in samples.

The report revealed that the German importer, which has not been identified, had sold seeds from the 2010 lot to the farm in Lower Saxony identified as the source of the German outbreak, while the 2009 lot went to Thompson and Morgan, the Ipswich-based company who supplied the sprouts linked to the French outbreak.

The authorities have warned people not to eat raw sprouts in the wake of the two outbreaks.