Alan Lundin wrote:

> Apparently most commercial sprouters do not wash the containers
> between batches and significant populations of e. coli grow on the
> sprouts.

The all-seeing, all-knowing Consumer Reports has weighed in on this
issue.  Here's what they had to say:

"Boiled sprouts

"Raw sprouts, the quintessential health food, have now been branded as
potentially dangerous. Since 1995 more than 1,000 Americans have
fallen ill and one has died in nearly a dozen outbreaks involving
contaminated sprouts.  Most of the outbreaks were traced to
salmonella, the rest to E. coli O157:H7.

"Health officials suspect that seeds used to grow sprouts become
contaminated in the field by manure, or during handling or storage.
The temperature, acidity, nutrients, and other conditions for
sprouting are also ideal for bacteria. And an FDA investigation last
year of 45 sprout facilities, some of them just sheds and modified
buses, found unsanitary conditions, such as the presence of rodents
and the use of untested well water.

"Recommendations

"The FDA has worked for several years with sprout growers to develop
sanitary strategies such as soaking seeds in a chlorine compound. But
after three outbreaks of sprout-related illnesses this year, Dr. Jane
Henney, commissioner of the FDA, issued a warning to all people who
want to reduce their risk of such illness--not just the susceptible
minority who were initially warned. "At this time, the best way to
control this risk is not to eat raw sprouts," Henney advised.

"For sprout addicts there is another way, though it's more trouble.
"Basically, you submerge the sprouts in boiling water," says Dr.
Charles Sizer. "Let the water come to a boil again, and take them out
after ten seconds. Put them on a paper towel and shake them a little."
Sizer is the director of the National Center for Food Safety and
Technology, an Illinois-based group working with the FDA and the
sprout industry to devise a better solution. "The sprouts maintain
their crunchiness after boiling," Sizer says. If you like, you can
chill them before eating. Bon appétit!"

--
Deanna