TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

New Tomato Crop Can Go Back On Tables

ADVERTISEMENT

The Associated Press

Published: July 18, 2008

WASHINGTON - It's OK to eat all kinds of tomatoes again, the U.S. government declared Thursday - lifting its salmonella warning on the summer favorites amid signs that the record outbreak, while not over, may be slowing.
Hot peppers still get a caution: The people most at risk of salmonella - including the elderly and people with weak immune systems - should avoid fresh jalapenos and serranos, and any dishes that may contain them, such as fresh salsa, federal health officials advised.

Investigators don't know what caused the salmonella outbreak, which has sickened 1,220 people in 42 states - the earliest falling ill on April 10 and the latest, so far, on July 4.

But Thursday's move, coming as the tomato industry estimates its losses at more than $100 million, doesn't mean that tomatoes harvested in the spring are cleared. It just means that the tomatoes in fields and stores today are safe to eat, said David Acheson, the Food and Drug Administration's food safety chief.

"This is not saying that anybody was absolved," Acheson said. But, "as of today, FDA officials believe that consumers may now enjoy all types of fresh tomatoes available without concern of becoming infected with Salmonella Saint Paul," the outbreak strain.

Early on, there was evidence linking certain raw tomatoes to those who got sick, Acheson stressed. Yet inspectors haven't found the outbreak strain of Salmonella Saint Paul on any farms in suspect areas of south Florida and parts of Mexico, where they have traced tomatoes thought to have been eaten by patients.

As the outbreak stretched into June, more evidence emerged against fresh jalapenos, the FDA's hottest lead for now. Also still on the suspect list is fresh cilantro.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT