sprouts

New guidelines promoting best practices for sprout production are now available to UK producers thanks to an industry initiative led by the Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC) in consultation with the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

The 'Guidance for food business operators on the hygienic sourcing, production and safe handling of ready to eat sprouts' provides advice on reducing the risk of contamination, having been developed in response to last year’s E.coli O104:H4 outbreaks in France and Germany which were linked to ready-to-eat sprouted seeds.

The guide is designed to help businesses which produce sprouts, as well as seed producers, implement appropriate controls and manage production and handling procedures.

'This industry standard comes ahead of ongoing EU deliberations to introduce additional legislative controls and we hope it will reinforce both consumer and customer confidence in this sector,' said Nigel Jenney, CEO of the FPC. 'On behalf of the sprouts sector we are pleased to lead this initiative to set out current industry best practice. We encourage all businesses to adopt and adhere to this guidance.'

Alison Gleadle, director of food safety at the FSA, added: 'Sprout producers are responsible for ensuring that microbial contamination is minimised and that food safety risks are effectively controlled. We therefore welcome industry initiatives, such as the publication of this new guidance that will help sprout producers meet their legal obligations and increase awareness of industry best practice.'

According to the FPC, it is intended to update the Guide as required to take into account any new legislative requirements and practical experience, while the industry group is also considering the development of more detailed audit guidance in the near future.