What testing must I do during growing, harvesting, packing, and holding sprouts?
21 C.F.R. § 112.144
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01All of the following testing must be done during growing, harvesting, packing, and holding sprouts:
(a) You must test the growing, harvesting, packing, and holding environment for Listeria species or L. monocytogenes in accordance with the requirements of § 112.145.
(b) You must either:
(1) Test spent sprout irrigation water from each production batch of sprouts for E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella species, and any pathogens meeting the criteria in paragraph (c) of this section, in accordance with the requirements of § 112.147; or
(2) If testing spent sprout irrigation water is not practicable (for example, soil-grown sprouts harvested with roots or for hydroponically grown sprouts that use very little water), test each production batch of sprouts at the in-process stage (i.e., while sprouts are still growing) for E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella species, and any pathogens meeting the criteria in paragraph (c) of this section, in accordance with the requirements of § 112.147.
(c) In addition to E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella species, you must conduct tests as provided in paragraph (b) of this section for additional pathogens when the following conditions are met:
(1) Testing for the pathogen is reasonably necessary to minimize the risk of serious adverse health consequences or death from use of, or exposure to, sprouts; and
(2) A scientifically valid test method for the pathogen is available to detect the pathogen in spent sprout irrigation water (or sprouts).
Source: eCFRURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-21.xmlFetched: 7/26/2026