The California Department of Public Health is urging consumers who purchased Wo Chong brand alfalfa and clover sprouts not to eat the products due to possible salmonella contamination. The products are distributed by Wo Chong Co. Inc., San Francisco.
Routine testing of the sprouts found positive results for salmonella, said Al Lundeen, the department’s deputy director of public affairs. No illnesses have been linked to the sprouts, he said.
The Wo Chong sprouts were marketed in 4-ounce clamshells and 1-pound bags. The suspect clamshells are identified with a green sticker containing the words “alfalfa spouts” or a red sticker identifying the contents as clover sprouts.
Also on the stickers are Wo Chong Co. Inc. and the Universal Product Codes. A square label with “clover sprouts” in red letters and a circular blue Wo Chong symbol can be found on the 1-pound bags. The Department of Public Health is contacting approximately 25 primary distributors to identify the retail consignees, Lundeen said.
Shoppers who purchased any of the products should immediately discard them or return them to the point of purchase for a refund, said Lundeen, who added that the health department was attempting to determine how much of the potentially contaminated sprouts had been distributed and to what locations.