Another recall is being issued for produce that is feared to be contaminated with two types of life-threatening bacteria.
Ohio-based Berlin Seeds issued a recall of 950lbs of its Alfalfa Sprouting Seed product because the seed has the potential to be contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC) and/or Salmonella.
The recall applies to Berlin Seeds-branded Alfalfa Sprouting Seed packaged in 1/4lbs, 1/2lbs, 1lbs, 5lbs, and 50lbs sizes.
The recalled product was sold by Berlin Seeds at their retail store in Millersburg, Ohio, and through the company website from February 13, 2026 to August 23, 2026 to customers in 44 states.
To date, one illness has been reported directly to Berlin Seeds.
The recall was initiated after Berlin Seeds’s seed supplier notified the company that the seeds were identified as those used by a sprout grower whose finished sprouts were part of an FDA investigation into a multi-state E.coli and Salmonella outbreak.
Berlin Seeds also said in the recall notice that it was also notified by the supplier that a sample of water used to irrigate the produce tested positive for E.coli.
The CDC and FDA are jointly investigating the multi-state outbreak of E.coli and Salmonella linked to alfalfa sprouts. As of its latest update on September 1, the CDC reports the outbreak has sickened 55 and hospitalized four across 15 states.
At least two recalls have been connected to the outbreak, according to the CDC, including alfalfa sprouts and radish sprouts sold by Everything Sprouts, LLC.
Another recall is being issued for alfalfa sprouts that are feared to be contaminated with two types of life-threatening bacteria (stock image)
The sprouts in the latest recall were sold to customers in the following states: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Health officials have urged anyone who bought the recalled sprouts not to eat them and throw them away or return them to stores for a full refund.
People are also urged to wash any items or surfaces that may have touched the recalled alfalfa sprouts using hot soapy water or a dishwasher.
Anyone who experiences symptoms after eating the sprouts – including a temperature above 102F or diarrhea that does not improve for two days – is urged to contact their primary care physician immediately.
The strain of E. coli linked to this recall produces Shiga toxins that harm the gut lining, causing severe stomach cramps, watery or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting.
It can also infect blood vessels in the kidneys, causing the potentially fatal kidney condition hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
For salmonella, the bacteria can spread into the bloodstream and cause the life-threatening complication sepsis, where the immune system overreacts to an infection.
Healthy adults should recover from infections within a week. But children under five years old, older adults and those who are immunocompromised are at higher risk of a severe infection or complications.
The CDC and FDA are jointly investigating a multi-state outbreak of E.coli and Salmonella linked to alfalfa sprouts. The most recent recall has not yet been linked to the outbreak
It was not specified was caused the contamination, but food can become contaminated with bacteria if they are exposed to or irrigated with water contaminated with animal feces.
A contaminated food can then also spread bacteria to machinery, which then spreads it to other products.
E. coli typically sickens people between two and eight days after exposure.
Most patients develop bloody diarrhea and vomiting, as well as stomach cramps, but recover within a week. In more severe cases, some develop HUS, a type of kidney failure most common in children under five, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems.
Symptoms include easy bruising, decreased urine and a pale appearance. A kidney transplant may be necessary in severe or life-threatening instances.
Salmonella can cause diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps and dehydration – symptoms that require medical attention, particularly for children under five, adults over 65 and those with weakened immune systems.
While most cases resolve with supportive care, primarily hydration and rest, doctors can also use antibiotics to help clear infections.
Salmonella is one of the leading causes of foodborne illness in the US, triggering about 1.35 million infections, 23,000 hospitalizations and 450 deaths every year.
E.coli triggers about 70,000 infections every year, 2,100 hospitalizations and 61 deaths.
