Sprout Safety Training Video Available

SproutSafety

Training Video Available

SproutNet

ISS

July 12, 2000

TheCalifornia Dept. of Health and FDA have made a video called “SaferProcessing of Sprouts”.  They developed this in cooperation with theCDC, university researchers and commercial sprout growers.  It is meant tobe a training video for sprout growers, government inspectors, third partyinspectors, grocery chains and produce purchasing agents.

Wealready have this video and we are quite impressed.  The CDH and FDA shouldbe congratulated on their efforts.  This is quite a service.  Hadindustry tried to put this together, it would have cost a small fortune andprobably taken much longer.  I did notice some mistakes, but surprisinglyfew and you can expect this with any training video.  All in all Iwould give it four stars.

Thevideo is broken into four modules and module 3 is broken into fivesections.  It runs 1.45 hours, so as a training video, I think it is bestto break this up into about four training sessions.  I highly recommendthis to all of the target groups.  If you are in the sprout industry, youneed to study this and show it to your production workers.  It comes nicelypackaged in a three ring binder with about a hundred pages of other informationthat is useful to sprouters such as an inspection checklist, informationabout dry chlorine, list of food safety suppliers, guide to reduce food safetyhazards, and other information.

Isuspect if this were put together by a commercial training company with intentto sell to sprout growers they would charge between $500 and $3,000.  TheCDH and FDA are subsidizing this and are making the tape available for under$25.  If you are concerned about giving your name to the FDA, contact yourISS salesperson and we will buy it for you.  If you are not from the US,contact you ISS sales person and we will help you get one also and make surethat it is playable in your type of video player.  Unfortunately, I can’tput my hands on the ordering information but wanted to get this SproutNet outanyway.  I will publish it as soon as I can locate it.

One ofthe companies who allowed the filming of their sprout operation for this videois now out of business.  They voluntarily made a major recall of theirproduct because their lab, using a Neogen test, returned a positive test forE.coli 0157:H7.  They stayed closed for three weeks trying to locate theproblem.  They are now convinced it was a false positive test but havedecided not to reopen.  I don’t know if this was because of the Neogen testor not, but other growers have reported problems with Neogen tests. We will miss you Daniel and Lillian Reed of Our Gang Sprouts.