Another week, another outbreak of illness caused by sprouts. The latest troubles come to people who ate sandwiches from Jimmy John's restaurants in five Midwestern states.
The likely culprit is e. coli on clover sprouts, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the past year, problems with bacterial contamination of sprouts have been almost continuous, ranging from minor problems in the United States to a massive outbreak in Europe that killed 50 people.
So it seems like a good time talk with Bob Sanderson, president of the International Sprout Growers Association. He and his wife, Barbi, have been growing sprouts commercially in Rochester, Mass., for more than 30 years. But lately he's spending most of his time dealing with the pressing issue of safety and sprouts. Here are the highlights of our conversation, edited for length and clarity.
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