Is it a Microgreen or is it a Sprout? The Important difference for UK Environmental Health
I promise this isn’t going to be a dull, long winded article. I didn’t want to have to write it really. But as our amazing small-scale microgreens industry continues to grow and thrive in the UK, I just wanted to address this issue today. This week’s blog post is primarily for:
1. Commercial microgreens growers - it’s important to know the difference between microgreens and sprouts so you know how to then operate your procedures in the correct food safe way. It’s also useful for you to be able to communicate the differences to others, including your customers and local authorities.
2. UK Environmental Health - to just clear up the differences between how these two crops are grown, and therefore the differences in the level of food safety risk. This will then inform how microgreens farms should be operating in the UK to ensure food safety.
Ultimately we need approved guidelines issued by the UK’s Food Standard’s Agency (FSA) for microgreens production in the UK. This currently exists for sprouts, but not microgreens. Because of this, some local Environmental Health Officers are classing microgreens as sprouts and are therefore following those procedures, and insisting growers do too. Microgreens are a primary agricultural product and a much lower risk crop than sprouts, so we need this differentiated accordingly in the legislation.
A small disclaimer before we go any further - I’m a microgreens farmer and not an environmental health officer, FSA employee or scientist in this field. Until we get standardised national guidelines on the exact food safety measures we all need to adhere to when growing and supplying microgreens, I will always advise you to contact your own local authority’s Environmental Health Department before you start selling your crops commercially. You should be registering your microgreens farm as a primary producer. As it stands today, different local authorities throughout the UK class microgreens differently and you will need to follow your own local guidelines (if there are any).
My job today though is to succinctly describe the exact differences between SPROUTS and MICROGREENS and how this difference influences the level of food risk if consumed.
In a nutshell:
SPROUTS are:
✔ Germinated seeds that are eaten when their plant shoot is around 2 - 4cm depending on the seed variety. The whole plant is consumed - including the entire root system, seed case, stem and any immature leaves.
✔ Grown in low light and entirely in water. They need to be kept wet throughout their grow cycle and rinsed and drained at least twice a day with fresh water.
✔ Consumed after 3 - 7 days of growth depending on seed variety.
What seed sprouting production looks like.
Thanks for the image Grow Sow Greener!
(top notch organic seed supplier in the UK!)
MICROGREENS are:
✔ Edible plant shoots that have grown to their first seed leaf stage (also known as cotyledon stage).
✔ Grown in a grow medium, such as compost, coconut coir or grow mats, and their roots are watered from below.
✔ Harvested above the root, usually at 7 - 21 days old and only the shoots are consumed.
✔ Grown in an environment with plenty of airflow, fresh air and extraction.
What microgreens production looks like
Thanks for the image Grow Sow Greener!
(top notch organic seed supplier in the UK!)
Reasons why sprouts are a more high risk food than microgreens:
1. The whole root, seed shell and shoots are consumed with sprouts. Therefore any microrganisms present on the seed could also be directly consumed. Microgreens are harvested above the grow medium line and only the dry seed leaves are consumed.
2. Sprouts sit wet throughout their grow cycle, usually at high densities and in ambient temperatures - ideal conditions for any seed bacteria to quickly multiply and flourish. Microgreens remain dry throughout their grow cycle, with plenty of air flow and are only watered at their roots when needed.
3. Any waterbourne bacteria will also flourish under these conditions for sprouts and because the sprouts are continually wet, they’re at a much higher risk of becoming contaminated.
You can further reduce the food safety risk of your microgreens production by:
✔ Buying microgreens-specific seed from a reputable, specialist seed supplier. These seeds will have been tested for pathogens before sale and will be great quality. I partner with Grow Sow Greener in the UK. I’ve used their seeds for years in my own microgreens operation and I highly recommend them!
✔ Creating lots of air flow in your grow room. Don’t over-fill your room so much that air can’t circulate properly around your crops. Good air flow will prevent stagnation, reducing the risk of any mould spores settling and multiplying. Use fans for your air flow.
✔ Keeping a flow of fresh air. I use a small heat recovery extractor in my growing space that takes out the stale air and replaces with fresh air. I also use the ‘window-opening’ technique in the summer! Just make sure fresh air can get in and stale air can be extracted out.
✔ Use a dehumidifier if your grow room humidity levels are creeping higher than 60%. This will help keep your crops dry and create a more healthy growing environment.
✔ Keep your operations space as clean and hygienic as possible. Ensure you have a cleaning procedures document that you adhere to and have a HACCP procedure in place.
Ultimately, both microgreens and sprouts are raw foods and therefore both need to be produced in a stringent food safe way. And this is very doable for both as long as growers are crystal clear on how to do this properly for each of these crops separately and can be properly advised on that by UK Environmental Health.
I also want to be clear that microgreens and sprouting production isn’t something to shy away from due to safety concerns. Both of these plant crops are the most nutritious on the planet and therefore, in my opinion, should be made available for people to have in their diets as much as possible.
This is a microgreens blog though and I just wanted to highlight today how microgreens pose a much lower food safety risk when consumed than sprouts do (it regularly gets mixed up!).
Let’s get this conversation started and get standardised UK-wide guidelines on small scale microgreens production. It will save alot of time and potential confusion between Environmental Health and microgreens growers and will ensure proper and best practice throughout the industry.
Something we all want :)
I’d love to hear from you in the comments if you’d like to add to any of this.
Hi! I’m Amy Wright and I run my own microgreens farm in Leeds , UK.
I also teach people how to set up their own home based microgreens business, specifically in the UK.
If you’re keen to get started growing your first microgreens crops and selling them to your first paying customers, let me teach you how.