Salmonella outbreak linked to frozen sprouts

Frozen sprouted mung beans from Chetak LLC Group are responsible for eleven cases of Salmonella Anatum infections in ten states, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Four of the eleven victims have been hospitalized.

Outbreak cases have been identified in Connecticut (1), Florida (1), Illinois (1), Massachusetts (2), Minnesota (1), New Jersey (1), Pennsylvania (1), Tennessee (1), Virginia (1), and Washington (1).

Victims range in age from less than 1 to 78 years. All eleven victims are Asian.

Four of six cases with information available reported eating or likely eating frozen sprouted mat (moth) beans and frozen sprouted moong beans before becoming ill.

CHETAK LLC GROUP has recalled the following products, which were distributed across the United States:

• Deep Sprouted Mat (Moth) (16 oz; Lot codes 24330, 25072, 25108, 24353, 25171, 24297, 25058, 25078, 24291, 25107, 24354, and 24292)
• Deep Sprouted Moong (16 oz packet; Lot codes 24330, 25072, 25108, 24353, 25171, 24297, 25058, 25078, 24291, 25107, 24354, and 24292)

The company claims not to have received any direct reports of illnesses.

In May 2025, the FDA conducted routine sampling of Deep brand sprouted beans and found Salmonella in the products. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) established that the strain recovered from the sprouted bean samples was a match to the strain recovered from outbreak patients.

What consumers need to know (from CDC)

• Do not eat any recalled Deep brand frozen sprouted beans. Throw them away or return them to where you bought them.
• Wash items and surfaces that may have touched the recalled frozen sprouted beans using hot soapy water or a dishwasher.
• Call your healthcare provider if you have any of these severe Salmonella symptoms:
  • Diarrhea and a fever higher than 102°F
  • Diarrhea for more than 3 days that is not improving
  • Bloody diarrhea
  • So much vomiting that you cannot keep liquids down
  • Signs of dehydration, such as not peeing much, dry mouth and throat, and feeling dizzy when standing up

What eFoodAlert wants to know

It only takes a couple of days to confirm the presence of Salmonella in a food product, and the presence of any Salmonella in a food (whether or not it is associated with an outbreak) is grounds for product recall.

If the FDA sampled these frozen sprouts in May 2025 (that’s almost two months ago) and found Salmonella in the samples, why was the product recall delayed until this week?

Should we blame this inexplicable delay on the staffing cuts within the FDA? Or did the company drag its feet when asked to recall the Salmonella-contaminated products?

In the past, when a company resisted an FDA request to recall a product that presents a health risk, the agency would post a public health alert to warn consumers of the risk.

Of course, the individuals within the FDA who were responsible for preparing and releasing those public health alerts are no longer employed by the US government.

And now the public is reaping what DOGE and RKF, Jr., have sowed.

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