Supermarket managers have been doing a lot of reassuring lately, since a major Toronto bean sprout producer has twice, in one month, been forced to recall salmonella-infested batches of sprouts. The first advisory came in November and was lifted on Dec. 14; the second was issued by the federal government on Christmas Eve.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued an alert telling consumers not to purchase sprouts produced by Toronto Sun Wah Trading, also known as Hollend Enterprises. The Sun Wah mung sprouts have been sold to grocery stores and restaurants throughout Ontario and may have also been distributed in Quebec’s Abitibi-Temiscamingue region.
Because the sprouts are usually not sold with any product labels, consumers will have to contact stores where they were purchased to inquire about the producer.
Cooking mung spouts — often done in Chinese cooking — significantly reduces the likelihood of a bacterial infection.