Review of 2014
June: FDA finds tennis rackets used at sprout farm linked to E.coli illnesses
In June we found out that as if an outbreak of E.coli O121 was not bad enough, an investigation found tennis rackets been used at the facility.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has found tennis rackets being used to scoop mung bean sprouts onto the conveyor belt during inspections at a facility linked to an outbreak of E.coli O121 which has sickened 17 people.
The agency said two employees were seen using tennis rackets with scratches, chips, frayed plastic and sponge-type handles to scoop the sprouts from the water in the harvester onto the belt which fed them into the finished product storage bins.
The same rackets were used the following day in the bubbler during alfalfa sprout harvesting. [Read more about the FDA's investigation at Evergreen Fresh Sprouts].
