Nevada among states that sold tainted sprouts

WASHINGTON -- Alfalfa sprouts recalled because of salmonella poisoning were sold to more than 400 Wal-Mart stores in 15 states, a spokeswoman for the retail chain said Monday.

The raw sprouts sold by Caldwell Fresh Foods were sold to Wal-Marts in Alabama, California, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon and Wisconsin, the company said.

The Centers for Disease Control said last week that the alfalfa sprouts appear to have sickened at least 22 people in 10 states, including a baby in Oregon. Eleven of those sickened were in California.

The sprouts were sold in at least seven other stores in California, including Trader Joe's. Caldwell, based in Maywood, Calif., said the sprouts were sold at restaurants, delicatessens and retailers nationwide, but the company has not released a complete list of the outlets that bought the sprouts. Caldwell did not respond to requests for comment.

According to the Oregon Department of Human Services, which was first to announce the outbreak last week, the sprouts were sold in 18 states in the West, Midwest and South.

In addition to the California cases, two people were sickened in Nevada and two in Wisconsin. Arizona, Oregon, Idaho, Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico and Colorado each had one case. The illnesses began between March 1 and May 2.