We were discussing cold soaked noodles and oatmeal initially, I think. Unprocessed seeds sold in bulk are a totally different situation. Never know whose unwashed hands handled them.

However, that said, you state there were 30 reported illnesses since 1996... two a year? IMHO this is veeeerrrrryyyy low risk - especially with no info regarding if any of these "illnesses" were the direct result of eating ANY cold soaked foods AND if there was cross-contamination. How many folks drown in swimming pools/bathtubs each year? Those drownings are much higher than the statistic you mention, yet there seems to be no concern about any bicycle tourer drowning in a bathtub.

https://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreatio...factsheet.html

Someone drowns in a tub nearly every day in America - seattlepi.com

I personally soak my mong beans in warm water and dishwashing detergent and rinse with tap water (which has chlorine as a disenfectant). Then I soak them and sprout them. I no longer wash the sprouts in soap and warm water prior to eating.

OTOH, how many folks handle money and do not wash their hands before eating? Like at McDonalds, eating nuggets/chips with their fingers...

A common science demo/experiment was to innoculate sterile petri dishes with a swab from money, pencils, water fountain knobs, etc. Quite the growth after several days, but the sterile unopened dishes had no growth...