Sprout Links

We’ve got extensive information on sprout industry regulations, food safety requirements and more. This useful collection of links has been compiled over the course of several years.

Regulations & Food Safety Links

• FDA. Compliance Policy Guide, Seeds for Sprouting Prior to Food Use. 1982, revised 1989
• FDA, USDA, CDC: Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables. October 26, 1998
• FDA/NACMCF: Microbiological Safety Evaluations and Recommendations on Sprouted Seed May 28, 1999
• Federal Register 64 FR 57893 October 27, 1999 — Guidance for Industry: Reducing Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Sprouted Seeds and Guidance for Industry: Sampling and Microbial Testing of Spent Irrigation Water During Sprout Production October 27, 1999
• FDA/CFSAN Guidance for Industry – Sampling And Microbial Testing Of Spent Irrigation Water During Sprout Production October 27, 1999
• FDA/CFSAN Guidance For Industry – Reducing Microbial Food Safety Hazards For Sprouted Seeds October 27, 1999
• Sprout Industry Food Safety Videos – These sprout food safety videos, available on YouTube, were jointly developed by the California Department of Public Health, Food and Drug Branch and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control.
• Sprouts and Foodborne Disease ~ Food Science Australia November 2000
• Code of Practice for the Hygienic Production of Sprouted Seeds, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, September 11, 2001 (Updated Feb, 2007)
• Controlling Listeria Monocytogenes in Small and Very Small Meat and Poultry Plants. (This is excellent information for commercial sprout growers as well.) September, 2001
• Microbiological Safety and Quality of Sprouts in Western Australia, 2002
• Microbiological Safety of Sprouted Seed Production, Chapter 4, Code of Practice for Food Safety in the Fresh Produce Supply Chain in Ireland, Food Safety Authority of Ireland.
• FDA Talk Paper: Consumers Advised of Risks Associated with Eating Raw and Lightly Cooked Sprouts. October 2, 2002
• Albertsons Requirements for Sprouting Operations
• A “Safe Hands” Hand Wash Program for Retail Food Operations
• Code of Hygienic Practice for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, Codex Committee on Food Hygiene, Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, CODEX Alimentarius Commission, CAC/RCP 53 – 2003
• Annex II, Annex for Sprout Production, Pages 20-26 of Code of Hygienic Practices for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, CAC/RCP 53 – 2003 (26 pp), Secretariat of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, World Health Organization.
• FDA/CFSAN Note to Firms that Grow, Condition, Store, or Distribute Seed for Sprouting and to Firms that Produce, Pack, or Ship Fresh Sprouts August 19, 2004
• CFSAN: Produce Safety From Production to Consumption: 2004 Action Plan to Minimize Foodborne Illness Associated with Fresh Produce Consumption, October 2004.
• Risk of Food Poisoning Due to the Presence of Human Pathogens in Sprouted Seeds, Food Standards Agency, UK. January 24, 2004
• Growing Sprouts in Retail Food Establishments December 2004, FDA
• Seed Handling and Distribution Systems May 17, 2005 (Required listening: If you are a commercial sprout grower, you should download and listen to this before choosing using seed for sprouting. It can save you from being involved in an outbreak. This is a 21 minute PowerPoint presentation that takes 10-20 minutes to download on broadband. Save it to disk before opening it. It is 26 MB.)
• Policy on Managing Health Risk Associated with the Consumption of Sprouted Seeds and Beans, Health Canada, Health Products and Food Branch, Food Directorate, Identification Number: FD-FSNP-0070, Version Number: 001, December 2006.
• Guidance for Industry: Sample Collection and Testing for Sprouts and Spent Irrigation Water, Health Canada, Health Products and Food Branch, Food Directorate, Version Number: 001, December 2006.
• “Sprouted Seed Good Manufacturing Practices Guidebook ntario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. 2007
• Canadian Sprout Manual Draft Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. 2007
• Code of Practice for the Hygienic Production of Sprouted Seeds, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, February 2007.
• Plant Products Safety Manual, Revised June 2007, South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI). The seed pre-screening sampling process is based on the method developed by International Specialty Supply and Jonathon Sprouts, which was reviewed and confirmed by the South Australian Research and Development Institute.
• HACCP Generic Model for Sprouts Grown in Water, First Edition, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, February 22, 2008.
• Food Safety Practices Guidance for Sprout Manufactures, First Edition, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, February 22, 2008.
• GUIDE DE PRATIQUES HYGIéNIQUES à L’INTENTION DES FABRICANTS DE GRAINES GERMéES, PREMIèRE éDITION, Agence canadienne d’inspection des aliments, 22 février 2008.
• MODèLE GéNéRIQUE HACCP Pour LES GRAINES GERMéES CULTIVéES DANS L’EAU, Agence canadienne d’inspection des aliments, 22 février 2008.
• California Department of Public Health Advisory to Commercial Sprout Producers, May 1, 2008
• Guidelines for Australian and New Zealand Sprout Producers, Update 7 July 2008 – Prepared by Australian New Zealand Sprouters Association.
• FDA Letter to Sprout Industry, May 1, 2009
• Proposal P1004, Primary Production & Processing Standard for Seed Sprouts, 2nd Assessment Report, Food Standards, Australia – New Zealand.