The investigation of the deadly bean sprout Listeria outbreak began with a routine inspection by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The outbreak, which began last summer was, was linked to bean sprouts from Wholesome Soy in Chicago. Five people in Michigan and Illinois were sickened. Two of them died.
On August 12, the FDA went to Wholesome Soy’s Chicago facility for a routine inspection that would last through September 3, 2014. They found Listeria in sprouts and in irrigation water. After whole genome sequencing tests revealed that the Listeria strains found at Wholesome Soy were highly related to the strain isolated from five people who became ill, FDA investigators returned to the plant.
FoodWorld 