752 Number of Europeans who suffered kidney failure due to a
virulent strain of E. coli bacteria that spread across Germany
in May. As of early July, the outbreak had infected 3,768 people
and killed 44. To check the spread of infection, public-health
officials warned consumers away from fresh vegetables; weeks of
investigation fingered bean sprouts from an organic farm in
northern Germany as the source of the outbreak. 30 Number of
foodborne illness outbreaks associated with bean sprouts since
1996. To germinate, alfalfa and soy need heat and
humidity—conditions that also support bacteria. The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children,
pregnant women, and the elderly avoid all raw sprouts. 24,000
Pounds of frozen peas, carrots, and other vegetables voluntarily
recalled by a Tennessee company last year after consumers found
shards of glass in some bags. No injuries were reported. Between
1972 and 1997, the Food and Drug Administration analyzed 190
cases of foreign objects in food and