Hamilton, Ontario, public health officials were cited as saying that eating sprouts is hazardous and are telling consumers to eat them at their own risk.

The warning includes all types such as mung bean sprouts, radish and alfalfa. The health department warning is in response to an on-going investigation which links mung bean sprouts produced by a Toronto company to outbreaks of salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 across Ontario. Mung bean sprouts, commonly referred to as bean sprouts, are the long, white variety.

According to the Belleville Intelligencer, the suspect sprouts were originally recalled provincewide on Nov. 23. The health department lifted the ban Dec. 8, when the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care declared the product safe.

On Dec. 24, however, an alert was sent out from the ministry announcing that the Toronto producer had resumed production and distribution of bean sprouts using seeds that were under detention. The affected product has been recalled but, this time around, Hamilton’s health department is not imposing a ban on all sprouts.