Microgreens World
The weekly digest for growers, researchers and entrepreneurs
Broccoli Sprout Salmonella Outbreak Reaches 32 Cases in Six States, and One Patient Ate a Microgreen Mix
The count in the Idaho broccoli sprout outbreak has risen to 32 people in six states, according to FDA and CDC updates dated September 24. The states are Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon, Utah and Washington. The CDC lists 10 new cases and two newly added states since its previous update. The pathogen is Salmonella Bovismorbificans, and the investigation is still open.
Illnesses began between July 7 and September 3. Three people have been hospitalized and none has died. Of the 27 patients interviewed, 26 said they ate sprouts or microgreens, and 22 named broccoli sprouts specifically. One reported eating a microgreen mix that contained broccoli microgreens. That is a single patient in a count of 27, and neither agency names microgreens as the vehicle.
The recall belongs to Evergreen Fresh Sprouts LLC of Moyie Springs, Idaho, which pulled its broccoli sprouts on September 4. The packages were plastic bags or clamshells with expiration dates of 9/7, 9/9, 9/11, 9/14 and 9/16. According to the CDC, they went to food co-ops, restaurants and grocery stores in Idaho, Montana and Washington, and both agencies say the product may have been distributed further. The FDA says testing and whole genome sequencing confirmed the outbreak strain in product samples.
A second sprout outbreak is running at the same time and is not connected to this one. The FDA is investigating an E. coli and Salmonella outbreak tied to alfalfa sprouts, and the CDC describes it as an unrelated incident involving a different producer. Anyone who sells sprouts alongside microgreens is following two separate investigations with two separate firms.
The agencies’ advice is short. Anyone holding the recalled sprouts should throw them away or return them, then wash anything they touched in hot soapy water or a dishwasher. Symptoms are diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps, starting 6 hours to 6 days after exposure, and most people recover in 4 to 7 days without treatment. Editor’s read, and it is only that: a grower who sells a broccoli microgreen mix has no finding against them here, but one patient’s meal has put the word microgreens into a federal outbreak notice, and a customer may ask about it. The FDA page will carry the next update.
U.S. FDA · fda.gov · September 24, 2026 | U.S. CDC · cdc.gov · September 24, 2026
Mixed Red and Blue Light Raised Nitrogen and Broccoli Iron. Pure Blue Gave the Most Antioxidant Activity and the Least Biomass.
Seffrin and Di Gioia at Penn State grew broccoli and radish microgreens under six LED spectra: red, blue, white, and red:blue mixes of 25:75, 50:50 and 75:25. Daily light integral was held low at 8.23 mol per square metre per day, with a 14-hour photoperiod, an average of 163 µmol per square metre per second, harvest at 7 days for radish and 8 for broccoli, and four independent repeats.
Blue alone gave the greatest shoot elongation and the lowest dry biomass, and the highest antioxidant activity at 99.05 µM Trolox per gram dry weight. Total nitrogen ran from 5.89 g per 100 g under red alone to 6.42 under the 75:25 mix. Broccoli iron rose 15 to 20 per cent under the mixed ratios, within a range of 134.7 to 162 mg per kg, with no iron effect in radish. Total phenolics did not differ between treatments. The authors say species-specific responses and the short growth cycle limit how far the results travel, and they call for work with longer-cycle crops. Published in Horticulturae on September 24, 2026.
Horticulturae (MDPI) · mdpi.com · September 24, 2026
Selenium Spray Plus the Red1/Blue1 Light Treatment Gave Broccoli Microgreens Their Highest Sulforaphane, 271.72 µg per Gram
Kiani, Moradi and Ghasemi, at Sari Agricultural Sciences University in Iran, ran a factorial test on broccoli microgreens: three red (660 nm) to blue (440 nm) ratios at 200 µmol per square metre per second, crossed with a selenium spray at 0 or 10 µg per mL.
The Red1/Blue1 light treatment combined with selenium produced the highest sulforaphane, 271.72 µg per gram dry weight, and the highest flavonoid content, 0.0039 mg per gram fresh weight. Fresh weight gains levelled off across most treatments, and the controls had notably lower biomass, reported at 59.8 mg. The most compact plants, at 2.84 cm, came from the Red2/Blue1 ratio without selenium. Only one selenium dose was tested against none, so the paper gives no dose response. The authors say how light spectrum interacts with other nutrients remains unexplored. Published in the Russian Journal of Plant Physiology, Vol. 73, on September 23, 2026.
Russian Journal of Plant Physiology · springer.com · September 23, 2026
A Student Team Chased a Root Rot Through Ten Trials and Traced It Back to Tap Water
Wang, Khare, Tran, Jamil and Nolan studied Pythium root rot in Amaranthus tricolor microgreens grown in mini hydroponic tanks. They isolated an unidentified Pythium species from infected roots, cultured it and inoculated tanks with it. Over ten trials across two years, their control tanks kept showing root rot they had not caused, and even healthy-looking crops produced shriveled, dead microgreens.
In the final trial they disinfected equipment with sodium hypochlorite at 1,700 ppm chlorine and sterilized the water three ways: a 0.22 µm syringe filter, 15 minutes of pressure cooking and deionization. Control tanks stayed free of root rot, with minimal shriveled plants, and the authors conclude municipal tap water was likely contaminating the system. They suggest commercial growers consider UV, reverse osmosis or ozone treatment. Note: those three were not the methods tested, and the final trial changed several things at once, so it does not show which step mattered. It is a small student study in a student journal, so a lead more than a finding. Journal of Student-Scientists’ Research, Vol. 8, September 24, 2026.
Journal of Student-Scientists’ Research · journals.gmu.edu · September 24, 2026
A Portable Microgreen Controller Passed Its Bench Tests. The Authors Say It Has Not Been Tested on a Crop.
Susantini and colleagues built GREENESA, a portable microgreen cabinet, in two stages. The first used an ESP32 controller, a DHT11 temperature and humidity sensor, a BH1750 light sensor, an analog moisture probe, lamp relays and a 12-volt pump, with Blynk cloud monitoring. After the display showed intermittent corruption or blanking following repeated actuator switching, they rebuilt it around a PLC with an eight-page touchscreen interface and separate 24, 12 and 5-volt supplies. It supports rockwool, cocopeat and paper media.
The tests were functional: communication, keypad response, moisture-sensor calibration, and manual and automatic control of the pump and lamps. Moisture bands came from raw readings (dry 3565 to 4095, moist 2900 to 3050, wet 2659 to 2850), and the authors call the calibration preliminary. The paper says it did not compare crop treatments and was not designed to estimate effects on growth, yield, nutritional quality, water or energy use. Database and AI functions were still under development. Published in F1000Research on 25 September 2026.
F1000Research · f1000research.com · September 25, 2026
A Food Safety Attorney Wants Every Bag of Raw Sprouts to Carry a Warning. Public Comment Closes October 9.
Bill Marler, a food safety attorney, released a draft petition on September 29 asking the FDA to require a warning on raw and lightly cooked sprouts. The proposed label reads: “WARNING: Sprouts may contain harmful bacteria, such as Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria, that can cause serious illness, kidney failure or death.” He is taking public comment through October 9 and plans to file in October.
His release points to two live outbreaks, using CDC data from September 24: alfalfa sprouts from Minnesota tied to 55 illnesses in 15 states, and Idaho broccoli sprouts tied to 32 illnesses in six states. It adds that the FDA has advised vulnerable groups to avoid raw sprouts since 1998 without the advice appearing on packaging, and counts 52 outbreaks and more than 2,700 illnesses from 1996 to 2020. Those historical counts are his. The release does not mention microgreens, and the petition has not yet been filed.
PR Newswire · prnewswire.com · September 29, 2026
GoodLeaf Dropped Baby Arugula and Spinach for Higher-Value Crops. Its CEO Says All Three Farms Now Make Money.
In an interview with VerticalFarmDaily, GoodLeaf Farms CEO Andy O’Brien said the company’s three farms, in Quebec, Ontario and Alberta, each reached positive EBITDA in the fourth quarter of 2025. He put revenue at CAD 6.4 million in 2023 and CAD 34 million in 2025, and says it is up a further 31 per cent in 2026.
The company stopped growing lower-yield crops such as baby arugula and baby spinach. O’Brien described the direction as “higher-value crops with stronger economics.” Microgreens are among the products it grows, alongside baby greens and salad blends. He said the company chose large facilities able to supply national retailers over heavy automation, and plans to double its Alberta and Quebec footprints by late 2028. Every figure is the company’s own, given in an interview, and no financial statements were reviewed. My read: the crop list is the part a smaller grower can use, because a farm that drops a crop has looked at what that crop earned.
VerticalFarmDaily · verticalfarmdaily.com · September 28, 2026
BrightFresh Is Bringing Eight Microgreen Salad Blends and Six Micro Herbs to Orlando
Moving microgreens from the chef’s plate to the everyday shopper’s cart is the aim BrightFresh Microgreens states for a new line it will unveil at the IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show in Orlando on October 15 and 16, booth 2058. The San Marcos, California grower says it grows in natural sunlight in the region’s coastal climate.
It lists eight salad blends: Micro Arugula, Micro Broccoli, Micro Watercress, Micro Rainbow Salad, Micro Asian Salad, Micro Super Salad, Micro Crunchy Salad and Micro Spicy Salad. It also lists six micro herbs, without naming them. SVP of Sales Marc Oshima said the products are meant to make fresh flavor simple, convenient and relevant to everyday eating. The announcement gives no prices, pack sizes, shelf life or retail partners, which is the ordinary condition of a show announcement. Worth asking: what a blend costs per ounce against a single-variety pack, how long it keeps, and which retailers have committed shelf space.
AndNowUKnow (company announcement) · andnowuknow.com · September 28, 2026
A North Minneapolis Basement Grower Sells to a Meal Nonprofit, Restaurants and Farmers Markets
Todd Western IV, a seventh-generation farmer, started Freedom Farms in 2021 and grows microgreens in the basement of his north Minneapolis home, according to CCX Media. A plot a few blocks away carries Malabar spinach, okra and collards in season.
His buyers include Open Arms, a nonprofit that makes medically tailored meals, restaurants including Owamni, the Richfield Farmer’s Market and Valley Natural Foods in Plymouth. A USDA grant paid for garden beds, a shed and a rainwater collection system at the outdoor plot, and Western employs relatives, including his daughter and sisters. The story reports that 1.5 per cent of U.S. farms are Black-owned and that Minnesota had 46 as of 2022. It gives no sales figures, tray counts or prices, and it does not say which crops go to which buyer. It is a profile, not a financial account. The channel list is the reportable part: a nonprofit buyer, restaurants, a co-op grocer and a market stall are named, and the story says Western sells to them, without saying what share of his income each one represents.
CCX Media · ccxmedia.org · September 25, 2026
