HEALTH BRIEFING:THE SPROUTING seeds of a Sligo health food company withdrawn from shops following the recent E.coli scare are back on the shelves. Good4U, a family business which was not connected with the outbreak, was particularly hit by the crisis as its sprouted seeds are sold ready to eat.
When the European Safety Authority ruled that all sprouts be cooked before consumption, the business decided not to include the cook message on its packaging. Good4U says the health benefits of its products are diminished by cooking.
“Our customers buy sprouted seeds because they are a living food with all their enzymes intact,” said Laura Butler of Good4U. “The advice to cook them was like telling customers to cook lettuce,” she added.
With stockists including Tesco, SuperValu and Superquinn, Good4U removed its products from sale until the Food Safety Authority (FSA) would validate them as safe to eat raw. Following the publication of FSA guidelines and a subsequent visit by the authority and the Environmental Health Agency earlier this month, Good4U sprouts have now received full approval to be sold ready to eat. “Now we’re just trying to get the message out that sprouts are safe and extremely nutritious,” said Ms Butler. “We’re confident we can get sales back up again.”
