THE FOOD SAFETY Authority has said that consumers can still eat bean sprouts just as long as they’re cooked through, following a warning to avoid eating raw bean sprouts over the weekend.

The E. coli outbreak across Europe which has so far killed 43 people and the same strain that was found in Germany was also discovered in France over the weekend with a number of people hospitalised as a result.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) says that the source of the bean sprouts or the seeds from which they sprouted is not yet known, but says it is possible that the seeds are still on the market.

But despite the warning about raw sprouts, the FSAI said today that cooking the sprouts through for a few minutes will knock-out the bug in all cases.

So the advice is by no means to avoid bean sprouts altogether if you’re using them in your stir fry.

Ray Ellard from the FSAI told TheJournal.ie today:

Cooking them will kill E. coli in all cases.

The advice is to avoid eating raw bean sprouts but rinsing them clean with water, letting them simmer for a few minutes and ensuring they’re piping hot will knock-out the bug.