Bean Sprouts Confirmed as Source of Deadly E. Coli Outbreak

Men in protection suits pack samples of beans and sprouts at a gardening farm in Neu-Steddorf, Germany, on 08 June 2011. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Vegetable sprouts grown in Germany have been confirmed as the cause of the E. Coli outbreak that has killed 30 and sickened nearly 3 000 in Europe.

Although no sprouts tested from the suspected Lower Saxony farm had come back positive, there is enough epidemiological evidence to draw the conclusion, Reinhard Burger, President of the Robert Koch Institute, told reporters, as cited by CBS.

The German chaotic response to the threat and its failure to find out the real source of the spreading infection until now have been generally slammed across the EU.

John Dalli, the EU's food safety commissioner, attacked Germany for giving out unverified warnings on the cause of outbreak which triggered a consumer panic and cost farmers hundreds of millions of Euro, The Telegraph points out.

On Wednesday, EU Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos raised his aid package offer to EUR 210 M million to help farmers recover from some of their losses as a result of the E. Coli crisis. He had initially proposed EUR 150 M in aid.

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