FDA Adds Country Creek and Francisco Family Foods to Sprout Seed Recalls

Two more sprouting seed brands have entered FDA recall records over possible E. coli and Salmonella contamination, weeks after federal health officials declared a related 16-state outbreak over. The Food and Drug Administration listed the recalls in its Enforcement Report under Event 100206 for Country Creek LLC's Country Creek Acres brand and Event 100236 for Francisco Family Foods.

Neither company has posted a public recall notice. The FDA has not issued a news release. The disclosures exist only in the enforcement database, a reporting channel that often trails the underlying action.

The entries name the products, the package sizes and the reason — possible E. coli and/or Salmonella contamination. Beyond that, they say little. Code information reads "none." The entries do not yet carry a recall initiation date, a quantity, a distribution area or a classification.

Are these recalls tied to the 16-state outbreak?

The Enforcement Report does not say whether the recalled seeds connect to the 16-state outbreak of E. coli and Salmonella infections that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared over on Nov. 9. That gap leaves growers, retailers and consumers without a clear answer on scope.

The outbreak's origin story is well documented. It began with sprouts. Everything Sprouts LLC of Minnesota recalled its Calco and Everything Sprouts alfalfa sprouts on Aug. 22, then added its Robust Radish Sprout Mix on Aug. 28.

FDA traceback work then moved upstream from the finished sprouts to the seed itself. Investigators identified lot SAL2-24JB as the implicated seed lot. The still-unnamed seed supplier recalled that lot in late August. The lot carries a use-by date of Dec. 31, 2029 — a shelf-life window long enough that product could sit in storage for years.

What other companies have recalled product?

The recall chain has widened steadily since August. Three additional companies pulled products tied to the outbreak or to the implicated seed lot:

• LEASA Industries recalled sprouts in Florida on Sept. 4
• Todd's Seeds recalled on Sept. 11
• Berlin Seeds of Ohio recalled on Sept. 12

That brings the count of publicly identified recalling firms to at least six, counting Country Creek LLC and Francisco Family Foods, plus the unnamed seed supplier at the top of the supply chain.

What does this change for growers and buyers?

For sprout growers, the practical question is inventory. Seed from lot SAL2-24JB remains the documented link across multiple recalls, and the new Enforcement Report entries omit the code data that would let buyers check their own stock against the recall. Until the FDA completes the entries with quantities, distribution areas and classification, verification depends on direct contact with suppliers.

For seed suppliers and sprout producers, the episode underscores how traceback pressure moves upstream — from retail sprouts to the seed lot in a matter of weeks. Recalls that surface quietly in an enforcement database can still carry the same market consequences as a headline announcement.

The next signal to watch is whether the FDA updates the two enforcement entries with classification and distribution data, or posts a public recall notice that settles the question of a link to the closed outbreak.