6/27/201 --- Following further cases of E. coli in France, the Food Standards Agency is revising its guidance on the consumption of sprouted seeds such as alfalfa, mung beans (usually known as beansprouts) and fenugreek.

As a precaution, the Agency is advising that sprouted seeds should only be eaten if they have been cooked thoroughly until steaming hot throughout; they should not be eaten raw.

The investigations into the outbreak of E. coli in France have suggested a possible link to sprouting seeds from a company based in the UK. To date, no cases of food poisoning have been reported in the UK linked to the outbreak in France. We are in close contact with the Health Protection Agency who is actively monitoring the situation.

The Agency also advises that equipment which has been used for sprouting seeds should be cleaned thoroughly after use. You should always wash your hands after handling seeds intended for planting or sprouting.

The revised guidance was issued after French authorities linked sprouting seeds supplied by a British company to an Escherichia coli outbreak that has left eight people in hospital in France.

It comes after an outbreak of a new strain of E coli killed 44 people in Germany and left 3,700 ill including Britons who had recently travelled from Germany. Bean sprouts were also identified as the most likely cause of that outbreak.