I mean TECHNICALLY, they are "risky" for humans, but I have eaten many and been okay (think about grandma's advice, vs official advice...that's like sprouts vs non-- only it isn't quite like grandma, unless she was a parrot lol!) ...I'm on both sides of the fence here..
I wouldn't just say that they are 100% safe... probably like 75%-90% safe if you are a healthy human (just a total guess) and much less if you have a compromised immune system or bad batch..
They do have a TON of health benefits...but not risk free for captive birds or people
Many healthy parrots eat them and do just fine, but there is a lot up in the air because many parrots also die of seemingly random things and most people don't get a necroscopy, so there are no solid studies tabulating avian deaths in relation to sprouts (at least, not that I have found, although many owners of healthy birds do feed sprouts)..the sprout feeders with live birds will tell you positives, but the sprout feeders whose parrots may have died will not necessarily connect the dots...There are many parrots who have died from E.coli and other bacteria contracted within human homes, but that can happen with or without sprouts-- you just have to consider the fact that human contamination is more risky to birds than most of the types of bacteria sprouts would contain in the "wild"...although captive parrots also lack resistance to a lot of those. At the same time, a bird can get sick from a human's bacteria without eating sprouts.
If YOU sprout yourself, your hands should be exceptionally clean, as well as the container and the water used (and water must be changed with exceptionally clean hands daily more than once--like, if you touch the faucet, your hands are not clean anymore). It's a perfect situation to grow bacteria, so the less you introduce the better when DIYing it---I'm not saying when I sprouted for myself I was always pristine at all, but when it comes to birds that can't handle certain human bacteria, it's more important (because although many would be fine, if it can kill a human and humans can tolerate a level of gram negative bacteria, then it's important to reduce risk as much as possible). You should buy seeds specifically intended for sprouting, as the beans/seeds sold for cooking are NOT food-grade when raw--they are exposed to more junk because the assumption is that they will be cooked. There is still the possibility that the special seeds will contain bacteria internally (I researched this for hours before I had a bird, just out of curiosity for myself--not because I am paranoid, but because I was eating them like 4x a day and sprout recalls kept popping up).
It's far safer to get seeds intended for sprouting if you sprout your own, but even then, it's a risk. Here's a human dangers link, but this is just one side of the coin---they are tasy and healthy...I eat them...bird doesn't because I am too stressed already with work to deal with her getting sick on the off-chance, BUT I think everything is a balancing act--
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-...dangerous-bacteria_n_58347756e4b09b6055fedde3
If you buy sprouts, again, not risk free (but
beneficial when the batch is safe-- it is a bit of a gamble though because even sprouting seeds can contain internal bacteria, and human experience (e.g., I never got sick, really can't compare to a bird's and just because one bird is fine, doesn't mean another couldn't get sick from the same batch)...
Blanching quickly, followed by a cold-water rinse can also reduce some of the issues in certain sprouts, but it can totally wilt others and it's not 100% effective as far as eliminating all risk (although it can reduce it some-- the thing is, it takes away some of the experience and a bit of the nutrition---though not as much as cooking, as a blanch is a brief immersion.
If you look this up, you will find that people periodically die from eating them. I have never gotten sick from them (raw or whatever), but they are not the SAFEST food out there and I also have the stomach of a goat....For a human, I'd say it's probably as risky as eating raw cookie dough and more risky than eating an egg over easy (they tell pregnant women, young children and elderly people, as well as those with immune issues to avoid them is the US)....the danger to a parrot would depend on the level and type of contamination, but certainly humans have a higher tolerance for certain bacteria (gram negative) than parrots.
Bottom line-- it's not risk free but it can benefit them and lots of owners do it, but many also avoid it due to potential risks..
Lots of birds are fine...BUT it also depends on your home, hygiene, bacteria on your hands, type of bacteria etc, seeds used to sprout, health of the bird etc etc etc..
So don't go into it freaking out, but also know that they are a riskier food (despite the intense benefits they can bring nutritionally)
I am NOOOT a huge fan of the FDA, but here is what they said : https://www.fda.gov/news-events/fda...draft-guidance-improve-safety-seeds-sprouting
I really don't have a straight answer, and despite the risks to people, I personally still eat them, but "risky"...I would say they can be.
