E.coli Research Gets a Boost Through EU Funding

The EU has decided to pump funds to the tune of 2.2 million euros in research on the lethal E.coli strain that caused havoc not too long ago.

The European Commission's decision Tuesday "to get as full a scientific picture as possible" of virulent Escherichia coli came as Russia lifted a costly ban slapped on EU vegetables over the row.

E.coli Outbreak Blamed On Egyptian Fenugreek Seeds
Fenugreek seeds exported from Egypt to France and Germany may have caused an E. coli outbreak that has killed 48 people in Europe, the European Food Safety Authority said Wednesday.

Russia, which imports a total 600 million euros ($859 million) of European Union vegetables a year, introduced the ban June 2 after initial reports blamed European produce. The culprit was eventually found to be Egyptian fenugreek seeds.

Producers of cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, courgettes and sweet peppers, withdrawn from the market between late May and the end of June, have been promised 227 million euros in compensation.

Funds to put the new killer strain under the microscope are part of a 12-million-euro research programme to reinforce Europe's capacity for tackling pathogens.

E.Coli Scare: Food Watchdog Advises Against Raw Sprouted Seeds
Britain's Food Standards Agency has recommended that sprouted seeds be cooked thoroughly before consumption, and advised against eating them raw, following an outbreak of E.

"The research will focus on ways to prevent future epidemics and deal with new outbreaks," the commission said.

Source-AFP

EU Food Agency Stresses Sprouts Must be Cooked to Avoid E.coli
Thorough cooking of fenugreek sprouts following outbreaks of E.coli linked to sprouts in France and Germany has been recommended by European Union food safety and disease prevention agencies.

German E.Coli Outbreak Is Finished: Authorities
An E.coli outbreak in Germany that killed more than 50 people this year has ended, health authorities said Tuesday. The Robert Koch Institute, Germany's national disease control