Warning issued about eating sprout products

STATE – Health officials are warning New Hampshire consumers to check labels before eating any sprout products.

Amalgamated Produce Inc. of Bridgeport, Conn., has confirmed that some of its recalled products, including alfalfa sprouts, were distributed in New Hampshire.

The sprout products were recalled after a lab test showed contamination from harmful bacteria called Listeria monocytogenes. The infection that can result, listeriosis, is serious and potentially deadly, particularly for pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems and seniors.

Symptoms include fever and muscle aches and sometimes nausea and vomiting. If the infection spreads to the nervous system, symptoms can include headache, stiff neck, confusion, and loss of balance or convulsions.

No cases of the illness have been confirmed at this time.

All of the recalled items include have a sell-by date from March 31 through April 27 and are in 4-ounce plastic containers, with the noted exceptions of the 8- ounce Nature’s Promise Organic Alfalfa and the 5-pound bag of bulk alfalfa sprouts.

A full list of the recalled items can be found at www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/api04 09.html. For specific questions about listeriosis, call the state Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Public Health Services at 271-4496.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating the contamination.