Sprouted seeds suppliers in the EU have announced they are looking to set up a quality assurance body to counteract the negative press resulting from the recent E.Coli scare, which gripped Germany and France in June.

In a bid to restore confidence after sprouted seeds were linked to the outbreaks, European ffresh produce association Freshfel has sent a letter to sprouted seed suppliers throughout Europe, proposing the creation of a formal European Sprout Association and a quality label.

In its letter, sent out to stakeholders this week, Freshfel said its aim in setting up such a body was to "guarantee a minimum level of food safety towards the authorities and the market." It said a pan-European organisation would work with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which is currently compiling a risk assessment of sprouts in the wake of June's crises which killed at least 48 people and sickened thousands more.

Having initially recommended consumers avoid raw sprouted goods altogether, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) revised its safety advice on Thursday 22nd July, saying sprouts could now be eaten raw, so long as the label indicates they are 'ready to eat' or 'ready to wash.' The FSA did stress that "all other sprouted seeds, if not labelled as such, should be cooked thoroughly until steaming hot."

Sprouted seed suppliers have said that the FSA's initial advice has made retailers more cautious, with supermarkets such as Waitrose demanding more traceability of its suppliers, which is having knock on effects for their businesses.

After the EFSA identified fenugreek seeds imported from Egypt as the probably source of the outbreaks in France and Germany, European Officials placed a ban on Egyptian fenugreek seed sales and imports until 30^th October 2011.