THE Department of Health in South Australia is warning SA residents not to eat raw bean sprouts following a big jump in the number of reported salmonella cases.

Over the past 11 days there have been 108 salmonella cases reported in South Australia, which normally sees around 15 to 20 cases each year.

Since the start of December, SA Health has been notified of 233 cases of salmonella. Of these 233 cases, 43 people have been hospitalised.

“Our investigations have indicated to us that it is likely that the consumption of raw bean

sprouts is contributing to this increase,” said SA Health’s chief public health officer, Professor Paddy Phillips.

“As a result we are today advising South Australians to cook all bean sprouts and avoid

eating raw bean sprouts.

“We also want to alert food retailers such as restaurants and cafes not to serve raw

bean sprouts until further notice. We are working closely with the producers, suppliers and handlers of the sprouts and are continuing to investigate.

“Salmonella infection may produce symptoms of fever, diarrhoea, loss of appetite,

headache, stomach cramps and nausea and vomiting,” he said.

Bean sprouts - not to be confused with snow pea sprouts - are commonly used in stir fries, salads and noodle dishes, and are served alongside popular Asian dishes like pho.

According to the Food Safety Information Council, outbreaks of food-borne illness both in Australia and overseas have been associated with eating seed sprouts.

In 2005, a Salmonella outbreak in WA of 125 cases was linked to alfalfa sprouts and a 2006 Salmonella outbreak of 15 cases in Victoria was linked to alfalfa sprouts.

To eat bean sprouts, the FSIC recommend safely adhereing to the use by date displayed on seed sprout packaging, follow storage directions and always store seed sprouts at 5ºC or below.

Consumers should avoid cross contamination from other risky foods such as meat or poultry. Washing sprouts has been found to be not very effective as laboratory studies have shown that bacteria can be internalised in the sprouts, making it difficult to wash off and sanitise, and bacteria can be protected in a biofilm on the sprout surface.

People in the four vulnerable demographics, such as young children, people over 70, immune-compromised or pregnant should not eat uncooked sprouts of any kind.

A Woolworths spokesperson said customers shouldn’t be concerned about the supply available within their stores.

“Woolworths is not supplied by the producer affected. Customers can purchase this product from our supermarkets with confidence,” their statement said.

News.com.au has contacted Coles for comment.