Two home-seed companies, Eden Brothers and Gardeners Basics, recalled broccoli seeds on Oct. 7 and Oct. 8 after a supplier warned that lot W4105 may carry Salmonella. Both seeds are sold online nationwide. Neither company reported illnesses, but the lot is tied to an outbreak.
What the Companies Recalled
Eden Brothers LLC of Arden, North Carolina, recalled its Calabrese broccoli seeds on Oct. 7. The packets and bags carry Eden Brothers lot numbers 1022067 and 1022068, which match supplier lot W4105. They came in three sizes: a packet, a one-ounce bag and a one-pound bag. The company sold them on EdenBrothers.com and Amazon from July 8 through Sept. 28. In its notice, Eden Brothers said its supplier reported the seeds “may be contaminated with Salmonella.”
Gardeners Basics of Spanish Fork, Utah, recalled one-pound pouches of Waltham 29 broccoli sprouting seeds, UPC 848137042889, marked “Packed for 2027.” The company sold them on Amazon, its own website, TikTok Shop, Walmart, eBay and Etsy. Its notice says the company stopped selling the seeds.
Gardeners Basics said its supplier told it on Sept. 26 that bulk broccoli seed lot W4105 had been recalled. The company said FDA found Salmonella in a sample of that seed. It also said the seed went to a sprout grower whose product is part of an FDA investigation into a multistate outbreak.
The two notices carry different dates for the Gardeners Basics recall. The company’s own notice, posted by FDA, is dated Oct. 8. FDA’s outbreak investigation page lists the Gardeners Basics recall under Oct. 9.
What FDA Says About the Outbreak
FDA’s outbreak page, current as of Oct. 9, counts 32 illnesses and three hospitalizations from Salmonella Bovismorbificans. It lists no deaths. Illness onset dates run from July 7 to Sept. 3.
The page gives two lists of states that do not match. The case summary names six: Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon, Utah and Washington. The caption on the CDC map shown on the same page names only four: Idaho, Montana, Utah and Washington. Of 27 people interviewed as of Sept. 24, 26 said they ate sprouts or microgreens. That is 96%. Twenty-two of them named broccoli sprouts, and one named a microgreen mix that contained broccoli microgreens.
FDA collected a seed sample from the supplier. The sample tested positive for Salmonella, and whole genome sequencing matched the outbreak strain, according to the page. The supplier recalled the implicated lot and notified its customers.
The first recall in this outbreak came from a sprout grower rather than a seed seller. Evergreen Fresh Sprouts of Moyie Springs, Idaho, recalled broccoli sprouts on Sept. 4 after a positive Montana sample, FDA says. Those sprouts carried expiration dates of Sept. 7 through Sept. 16 and are past date.
How the Recalls Unfolded
The outbreak recalls cover five weeks. Evergreen Fresh Sprouts recalled on Sept. 4, EAK Distribution on Oct. 2, Eden Brothers on Oct. 7 and Gardeners Basics on Oct. 8 or Oct. 9, depending on which FDA page a reader trusts. The last illness onset FDA lists, Sept. 3, came the day before the first recall.
The gap between warning and announcement differs by company. The supplier notified Gardeners Basics on Sept. 26, and the company announced its recall 12 days later. Eden Brothers sold the seeds for about 12 weeks, July 8 through Sept. 28, according to its notice. It announced the recall nine days after the sales window closed.
Gardeners Basics said no illnesses had reached it as of Oct. 6. Eden Brothers also reported none. FDA’s page does not say that any of its 32 illnesses came from seed sold by Eden Brothers or Gardeners Basics. It ties the cases to eating sprouts and microgreens, and it ties the lot to a seed sample taken at the supplier.
FDA asks consumers not to use recalled lots of broccoli seeds or sprouts and to clean surfaces and containers that touched them. It says symptoms usually appear 12 to 72 hours after exposure and last four to seven days. Both company notices add that Salmonella can cause serious, sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and people with weakened immune systems. Anyone who develops symptoms after eating recalled sprouts or handling recalled seeds should contact a health care provider, the agency says.
What Buyers Should Do
Eden Brothers tells customers to stop using the seeds. They should not plant, sprout, eat or share them. The company asks buyers to seal the seeds in a bag and put them in household trash, not compost. It offers a full refund through its recall form and has a customer line at 855-440-2929, open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern.
Gardeners Basics says buyers should discard the seeds and any sprouts grown from them. No return is required. Customers can email info@gardenersbasics.com or text or leave a voicemail at 801-769-6181 with an order number and the place of purchase. The company does not answer live calls.
Eden Brothers also asks retailers and distributors to stop distribution, set aside and destroy remaining stock, notify their own customers and complete the company’s reply form.
A third seed recall sits on FDA’s page with no link to lot W4105. EAK Distribution LLC of Casper, Wyoming, recalled 8-ounce packs of Home Grown brand green sprouting calabrese broccoli seeds on Oct. 2. They carry lot code AUG172026 and were sold on Amazon from Aug. 20 to Sept. 18.
