Doug- To my knowledge, there haven't been any illnesses attributed to pea sprouts (usually called pea shoots). Maybe wrong? If there hasn't been any problem with pea shoots, the pejorative implication must be with the word "sprout". Rather than trashing a whole category, it might be useful to be more specific about the problem. Since pea shoots are always cut from the root before being eaten, they may be more properly included in the category of "microgreens" or even "spring mix", which is also consumed raw. Pea shoots can be lightly cooked, and maintain flavor and texture much better than many types of sprouts. If one were to create a "safety grading" for sprouts, or microgreens including pea shoots, the way in which they are grown and packed would be relevant to the assessment. Are pea shoots, or sprouts, where there has been every-batch sampling and testing of spent irrigation water with hold-and-release, a higher risk food than bagged salads where such testing is impossible? If the argument is that there is little or no relevant 3rd party audit for sprout, microgreen, and pea-shoot production, I agree. But perhaps this is the problem; not the products themselves. If so, the challenge is how to effectively address this problem on an industry-wide basis, so that these uniquely nutritious foods can be more widely enjoyed. It takes a small industry a while to figure out what it can and cannot do, and what the FDA can and cannot do, by way of policing, but we are making progress. Bob Sanderson President International Sprout Growers Association President Jonathans Sprouts, Inc P.O. Box 100 Rochester, MA 02770 Tel: 508-763-2577 Fax: 508-763-3316 Email: megadome@meganet.net http://www.isga-sprouts.org/