Is it safe to eat microgreens right now?
Every FDA and CFIA recall and outbreak that names microgreens, sprouts or the seeds they grow from. United States since 2012, Canada since 2020. Check a bag against the list, see what is active today, and read what to do.
Right now
Checking the FDA and CFIA record…
- A recall names a product, a lot and the dates it sold. If your bag is not on the list, it is not recalled.
- The list covers microgreens, sprouts and the seed both grow from. Seed recalls count for both crops, since one seed lot can go either way. Each card is tagged so you can see which it is.
- Nothing here is medical advice. If you ate a recalled product and feel sick, call your doctor.
Active right now
Recalls and outbreaks from the last 120 days that FDA or CFIA still lists as ongoing, newest first.
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Does this affect you? Find a product
Type a brand, company, lot code or UPC. The list starts with this year. Set “From” to an earlier year to look further back.
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| Date | Product | Company | Reason | Class | Status |
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What to do
If you bought it
- Match the lot code and UPC on your bag to the card above. No match, no recall.
- Matched? Do not eat it, sprout it or share it. Seal it in a bag and put it in the trash, not the compost.
- Wash your hands and anything the seeds or greens touched.
- Ask the seller for a refund. The FDA or CFIA notice says how.
- Feel sick after eating it? Call your doctor and tell them what you ate.
For how germs reach a leaf and who should take extra care, read what the research says about microgreen safety.
If you grow from it
- Find the bulk lot. Ask your seed supplier which lot your order came from. This month’s three seed recalls trace to one supplier lot.
- Pull every tray sown from that lot. Do not sell it, and do not eat it.
- Clean and sanitize trays, the seeding area and anything the seed touched.
- Tell your buyers in writing, the same day. Keep a copy.
- Write it down: the lot, the trays, the dates, who you told. That record is what an inspector or buyer asks for next.
Not sure which records you are missing? Take the five-minute gap assessment, or see what to ask a seed supplier.
How this happens
Most recalls in this crop start with the seed. A germ on a seed coat rides along as the seed sprouts, and warm, wet trays help it grow. That is why one bad seed lot can show up under several brand names, weeks apart. The October 2026 broccoli seed recalls are one example: three companies, one supplier lot.
Sprouts carry more risk than microgreens. You eat a sprout whole, root and seed included. Microgreens are cut above the growing mat. In a head-to-head lab test, microgreens grown from contaminated radish seed carried far fewer E. coli than sprouts grown from the same seed. Lower, not zero. The seed coat stayed the hot spot (Xiao 2014).
The germs that show up in this list are the ones you would expect on any raw green: Salmonella most often, then Listeria and E. coli. The research hub covers where the germs come from and what growers do about it.
Recalls and outbreaks by year
One bar per year, counting each recall event once no matter how many products it covered. Sprouts, microgreens and seed together, both countries.
FDA’s enforcement data starts in mid-2012 and CFIA’s current site in 2020, so earlier years are not shown.
How we check
A small program reads three FDA sources and one CFIA source twice a day and files anything that names sprouts, microgreens, pea shoots or sprouting seed:
- FDA’s recall press list. Company announcements, posted the same day. This is where the product name, lot, UPC and “sold through” come from.
- openFDA enforcement reports. FDA’s own filing, usually weeks later. This is where the class and the status come from.
- FDA outbreak investigations. Case counts, hospitalizations and states, straight from each advisory.
- CFIA recalls and safety alerts (Canada). The brand, product, codes, UPC and provinces from each notice. CFIA’s current site goes back to 2020.
The page shows FDA’s own words for the product, the reason and the lot. It does not add to them. “Active” means the agency lists the recall as ongoing and it is less than 120 days old. CFIA does not close its notices, so a Canadian recall counts as active for 120 days. Older recalls stay in the table so you can look up any seed or sprout you have on hand.
Brussels sprouts, sandwich brands with “sprout” in the name, powders and capsules are filtered out. If something looks wrong, send a correction and we will check it against FDA.
Not covered yet: US recalls before 2012 and Canadian recalls before 2020. For the story behind Canada’s May 2026 cluster, read the 2026 Canadian microgreens recall post-mortem.
Questions people ask
Are microgreens recalled right now?
The status line at the top of this page answers that from the FDA and CFIA record, checked twice a day. It names the active recalls and says whether any of them is packaged microgreens or seed sold for growing them.
Are microgreens safe to eat right now?
If your microgreens are not on an active recall, there is no FDA or CFIA notice against them. Keep them cold and eat them within a few days. People who are pregnant, older or have a weak immune system should read the safety hub before eating any raw green.
How do I know if my seeds are part of the recall?
Match the lot code printed on the bag, or the UPC under the barcode, to the card in the “Active right now” section. Bought from a reseller? Ask them which supplier lot your bag came from.
Can I still grow microgreens from recalled seed if I cook them?
No. The FDA and CFIA notices say not to plant, sprout, eat or share recalled seed, and not to use it to grow microgreens. Seal it and throw it away.
Why do sprouts show up more than microgreens?
Sprouts are eaten whole, seed and root included, and they grow in warm, wet conditions that help germs multiply. Microgreens are cut above the mat and grow longer in the light. Lab tests found far fewer germs on microgreens than on sprouts from the same seed.
How often is this page updated?
Twice a day. The “Data checked” date in the header is the last successful read of the FDA and CFIA sources.
Keep reading
Sources
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Recalls, market withdrawals and safety alerts. fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts
- openFDA. Food enforcement reports API. open.fda.gov/apis/food/enforcement
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Investigations of foodborne illness outbreaks. fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/investigations-foodborne-illness-outbreaks
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration (updated October 7, 2026). Outbreak investigation of Salmonella: Sprouts (September 2026). fda.gov
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Recalls and safety alerts. recalls-rappels.canada.ca
- Xiao, Nou, Luo and Wang (2014). Comparison of the growth of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and O104:H4 during sprouting and microgreen production from contaminated radish seeds. Food Microbiology. doi.org/10.1016/j.fm.2014.05.015
Read the safety papers yourself
More than 140 papers on microgreen food safety sit in the Microgreens World research database. Open any one to read its abstract and go to the full text.
Search the safety papersThis page lists public FDA and CFIA notices for education. It is not medical, legal or regulatory advice. The FDA or CFIA notice is the official record and wins if anything here differs. Talk with a qualified health professional about your own health.
