FDA has informed us that they will be advising consumers not to eat raw alfalfa sprouts

FDA has informed us that they will be advising consumers not to eat raw alfalfa sprouts. The warning is expected to be issued tonight or Sunday.
FDA has linked a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Saint Paul to alfalfa sprouts. This outbreak began in March and is on-going. Currently 31 cases in Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah and West Virginia are linked to this outbreak. This is the same strain of salmonella that caused an outbreak from sprouts in Nebraska in February.
It appears that the salmonella is originating from a single, major seed supplier. The seeds have been distributed to primary sprouters and other distributors in at least 20 states, resulting in the nationwide alert. Also, these seeds have a long "life" and may still be in distribution channels.

The sprouting industry is advised to follow the FDA guidance for producing safe sprouts. This guidance includes both rinsing the seeds in an antimicrobial solution prior to sprouting and testing the sprouting water for the presence of pathogens. As part of this investigation FDA will be reviewing how closely sprouters are complying with the FDA guidance to assess whether changes in the guidance are needed. Information to date suggests a number of sprouters have not been following the recommended control measures.

FDA recommends that retailers/restaurants obtain sprouts only from reputable suppliers who are adhering to the guidance. However, since consumers will be advised not to eat raw alfalfa sprouts, it is unclear how retailers will be able to distinguish those spouts that were produced following the guidance and should therefore be safe to sell. We have asked FDA for further clarification on this.

FDA has asked that we share with them suggestions for narrowing the scope of this advisory including how to identify sprouts that were produced according to the FDA guidance. We will have another conference call with FDA on Monday so please let me know if you have any thoughts on how we might better manage this situation.