International Specialty Supply

Supplying Sprout Companies Throughout the World

ISS

820 East 20th Street

Cookeville, TN 38501 USA

931 526 1106

Bob@sproutnet.com

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Sprout Industry Supplier Leading Industry Toward Safer Sprouts

Steve Meyerowitz

April 7, 2000

Sprouts are one of the most nutritious foods on earth and researchers are now just beginning to find all the many health benefits that sprouts can provide. However, in the last couple years the sprout industry has been flogged by the press because of several outbreaks of Salmonella and E-Coli 0157:H7 in sprouts. These outbreaks have appeared in the US, Canada, Europe and Japan and have involved over 7300 confirmed cases of people who have become ill from eating contaminated alfalfa, radish, clover and bean sprouts. 

So is the problem with the seed, seed suppliers, or with the sprout growers? 

The answer is - all three.  Seed is a raw agricultural product that can become contaminated in the field or during harvest, storage, processing, transport or warehousing of the seed.  If the contaminated seed is not properly sanitized before sprouting, there is a chance that pathogens can quickly multiply.

In principle, this multiplication process should also be occurring in the hydroponics industry on a variety of products such as hydroponic lettuce.  The largest and most serious outbreak in "sprouts" was in radish sprouts grown in Japan.  More than 6000 of the 7300 confirmed cases came from radish sprouts grown in Japan.  These sprouts were not grown using the same techniques used by commercial sprout producers.  They were grown using similar methods as are used to produce hydroponic lettuce.  Very, little if any investigation on this subject has been done.

What is being done to make sprouts safe? 

The main supplier to the sprouting industry, International Specialty Supply (ISS) of Cookeville, Tennessee has attacked the problem from all directions.  They have developed a method to screen the seed they sell for pathogens.  According to Bob Rust, President of ISS, "This does not guarantee the seed is free of pathogens but we were able to screen out seven lots of seed in the last three months that were contaminated".  "We are currently working on a method to actually decontaminate the seed before it is shipped out to the growers.  However, no matter what we do, the sprout growers need to take responsibility and sanitize the seed before they sprout it."

ISS not only supplies seed; they design and manufacture the equipment used in sprout production. "ISS's experience in providing sprouting equipment internationally has lead to the design of the most sanitary and state-of-the-art equipment in the sprouting industry" according to Rob Carver, Carver Research Associates, Inc. located in Nashville, Tennessee.  CRA is an independent consultant and third party inspection company in the sprouting industry.

Sungarden Sprout Company, a division of ISS, has been providing sprouts the Southeastern US since 1979.  They grow and sell alfalfa, radish, red and green lentils, green peas, bean sprouts, onion, broccoli and cowpeas.     They also sell dehydrated peas and beans.

Kelly Warren, RN, manages Sungarden's HACCP plan and research lab, testing each crop for Salmonella, E-coli 0157 H7 and Total Aerobic Plate Count.  According to Ms. Warren, "This insures the sprouts Sungarden sells are safe.  It also insures that the seed ISS sells is continually tested for pathogens - possibly one of the reasons that ISS seed has never been involved in an outbreak."

The FDA recommends using 20,000 PPM calcium hypochlorite for disinfecting seeds used for sprouting.  According to Mr. Carver, "If growers buy seed that is tested for pathogens, disinfect it under the FDA guidelines, and test the sprouts the way Sungarden does, sprouts will be one of the safest products on earth.  In the sprouting industry ISS is the elite of the elite. In the seed and equipment industry they have no peers."

Health Benefits of Sprouts
Sprouts have long been famous as "health food" but recent research shows that in addition to being a superb source of nutrients, they also have important curative ability. Sprouts like alfalfa, radish, broccoli, clover and soybean contain concentrated amounts of phytochemicals (plant compounds) that can protect us against disease.

Studies on canavanine, an amino acid analog in alfalfa, has demonstrated benefit for pancreatic, colon and leukemia cancers. Plant estrogens are also abundant in sprouts. They increase bone formation and density and prevent bone breakdown or osteoporosis. They are also helpful in controlling hot flashes, menopause, PMS and fibrocystic breast tumors.

Alfalfa sprouts are one of our finest food sources of another compound, saponins. Saponins lower the bad cholesterol and fat but not the good HDL fats. Animal studies prove their benefit in arteriosclerosis is and cardiovascular disease. Saponins also stimulate the immune system by increasing the activity of natural killer cells such as T- lymphocytes and interferon. The saponin content of alfalfa sprouts multiplies 450% over that of the unsprouted seed.

Sprouts also contain an abundance of highly active antioxidants that prevent DNA destruction and protect us from the ongoing effects of aging. It wouldn't be inconceivable to find a fountain of youth here, after all, sprouts represent the miracle of birth.