Markets gear up after Germany lifts warning on cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce

A market was crowded with shoppers in Hamburg after the government lifted the warning on tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce on Saturday morning, following a deadly E. coli outbreak.

German health officials on Friday announced that sprouts from a farm in northern Germany caused the outbreak that has killed 31 people and sickened nearly 3,100.

Stall holders on Saturday told Xinhua news agency that business was picking up, with vegetables back on people's shopping lists, though many shoppers still remain cautious about what they consume.

German health officials on Saturday said that they were hopeful that the worst is over but also warned that the number of deaths from the world's worst E. coli outbreak may still increase.

Customers are still cautious because in the first place, cucumber was reported as the cause of E. coli and now sprouts.

EU farmers claimed to be losing up to 417 million euro a week as demand dropped but the EU says it will offer compensation of up to 210 million euro for the E. coli led losses to the farmers.