Tomato Salmonella Concerns Mount as FDA Fails to Find Source
You have probably heard of the tomato salmonella outbreak in the U.S. that has stores quickly pulling tomatoes off shelves and restaurants quickly removing them from the menu. The outbreak has spread to 17 states. There have been about 170 cases in the U.S. so far and one death has been linked to outbreak. This strain of Salmonella is a rare one called Salmonella Saintpaul. The FDA has been criticized but says the are moving as "hard and fast" as they can according to an IHTnews story.
U.S. officials hunted for the source of a salmonella outbreak in 17 states linked to three types of raw tomatoes, while the list of supermarkets and restaurants yanking those varieties from shelves and dishes grew.
Fast food chains such as McDonald's, Burger King and Taco Bell as well as several major grocery retailers in the U.S. voluntarily withdrew red plum, red Roma or round red tomatoes unless they were grown in certain states and countries.
In addition, officials at the Los Angeles Unified School District - the nation's second largest - said Monday they have "indefinitely suspended" serving uncooked tomatoes.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating the source of the outbreak, agency spokeswoman Kimberly Rawlings said. "We are working hard and fast on this one and hope to have something as quickly as possible," Rawlings said Monday.
You can read FDA's updates on the outbreak here. The site contains the following photograph of the two types of tomatoes the FDA believes may be the cause of the salmonella outbreak: Plum/Red Roma tomatoes and the Round red tomato.
Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, and tomatoes grown at home are safe to eat. There are still plenty of safe tomatoes in the stores but many consumers are unwilling to purchase them.
The CDC also has an informational webpage on Salmonella Saintpaul here. They offer the following tips for consumers.
Refrigerate within 2 hours or discard cut, peeled, or cooked tomatoes.
Avoid purchasing bruised or damaged tomatoes and discard any that appear spoiled.
Thoroughly wash all tomatoes under running water.
Keep tomatoes that will be consumed raw separate from raw meats, raw seafood, and raw produce items.
Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and counter tops with hot water and soap when switching between types of food products.
There is a secondary concern here in addition to the health of the U.S. population and that is the tomato growers and the tomato indstry. They have already been hurt by the FDA's inability to quickly locate the source and could sustain additional damage if the tomato salmonella problem continues to escalate.
