Reference no: EM133848959

Problem

The implicated seed lot was not distributed to any other sprouting companies in or outside the Chile. The remaining 6,000 lbs. of seed was immediately removed from the marketplace. A sample of 500 grams of seed was cultured directly, and the same amount was sprouted and then cultured; neither yielded E. coli O157:H7. The national Ministry of Health held meetings at which public health officials explained to seed growers the need to protect alfalfa and other seeds used in sprouting from contamination during growing, harvesting, and packing. Television and radio announcements about the risk of contaminated sprouting seeds and recommended that persons at high risk for complications from E. coli O157:H7 infection not eat sprouts. The national Ministry of Health began working with the sprout industry to identify ways to make sprouts safer for human consumption. In tests with artificially inoculated seed, treating the seed by soaking it in a chlorine solution* (2000 ppm hypochlorite in 57-60°C water) at the time of sprouting reduced the level of contamination by a thousand-fold. Irradiation has also been tested and appears to work well in decontaminating sprout seeds. However, this treatment leads to diminished sprouting ability and has not been approved by the Ministry of Health. At this point an epidemiologist would ask themselves: (please respond to the prompts below). What type of intervention is likely to be most effective against the problem of sprout contamination: education of producers, education of consumers, or changes in methods of product processing? Why? Get the instant assignment help.