TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Bay area tomato growers red with frustration

ADVERTISEMENT

By RUSSELL RAY

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 18, 2008

TAMPA - Florida's tomato growers enter each growing season knowing crops could be ruined by hurricanes, hail, pests or heavy rain.

What they don't expect is the federal government frightening consumers to the point that tomato sales would plummet 40 percent in one month.

The state's tomato growers say the Food and Drug Administration acted hastily in identifying tomatoes as the likely source of recent salmonella infections, the largest food-borne disease outbreak in the United States in a decade.

Hillsborough and Manatee counties account for much of the state's tomato crop, valued at more than $500 million annually.

In June, the FDA warned consumers against eating several varieties of tomatoes, even though none of the tomato samples tested by investigators were infected with the rare form of salmonella that has sickened nearly 1,200 people in 42 states. The disease is potentially fatal to the young, elderly or anyone with a weak immune system.

Here's the rub: It appears that jalapeno peppers may have caused the outbreak, not tomatoes. Federal investigators said last week that some of the salmonella cases have been linked to jalapeno peppers.

Florida growers, who lost millions when consumers stopped buying tomatoes, are seeing red.

Financial Hit Not Yet Assessed

Bob Spencer, co-owner of West Coast Tomato in Palmetto, said his company may have lost up to $2 million. Tomatoes turned to mush as they were left to rot on the vine or in the packing house.

"They're going to have to be more prudent in ringing the alarm bell in the future," Spencer said. "We were fortunate in Florida that it occurred at the end of our season."

The tomato-growing season runs mid-October to mid-June in Florida.

The financial hit to Florida growers hasn't been determined, but preliminary estimates put the loss at more than $100 million.
Florida growers say the federal government should compensate them for their losses and are lining up congressional support for millions in restitution.

"We've never had to deal with the customers being scared away," Spencer said. "We have a lot of contingencies in place, but we didn't have that one."

Florida is the nation's leading supplier of fresh tomatoes, accounting for 45 percent of U.S. consumption. Florida tomatoes were deemed safe to eat early on in the FDA's investigation, but that didn't help Florida growers as consumers became wary of tomatoes in general.

Meanwhile, Florida growers are worried that consumers' mistrust of tomatoes may linger into next season. Some growers may cut the risk by planting fewer tomatoes for next year's harvest.

"Who knows when consumer confidence will return," said Lisa Lochridge, spokeswoman for the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association. "It will take time."

The FDA's widening investigation has made it difficult for consumers to know for sure what's safe to eat, Lochridge said.

"There's more confusion than ever," she said.

Lochridge emphasized that all of the tomatoes being sold today are safe to eat because they were produced in states that have been cleared by the FDA. Tomatoes from all major tomato-producing states, including Florida and California, have been deemed safe to eat by the FDA.

FDA inspectors spent two weeks in Florida conducting tests but found no traces of the rare strain of salmonella bacteria tied to the outbreak. That didn't surprise state officials.

"We probably have the toughest, most rigorous tomato regulatory program in the country," said Terence McElroy, spokesman for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

It appears the source of the outbreak is "something more likely to have been grown in Mexico," McElroy said.

That's where most of the peppers sold in the United States are grown, he said.

Spencer, the tomato grower in Palmetto, said the rare form of salmonella, known as the Saintpaul strain, has been linked to tomatoes in the past.

So when people who had eaten tomatoes became infected with the Saintpaul strain, the FDA assumed it came from tainted tomatoes and warned consumers to be wary of red plum, red Roma and red round tomatoes.

"To me, it's similar to someone falling over dead and someone saying it was because he breathed air," Spencer said. "Sure he breathed air, but it was probably something else. People eat tomatoes all the time. It's a very common item that's consumed with many other food items."

Reforms Have Been Suggested

Meanwhile, state and industry officials, including agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson, are urging the FDA to consider reforms that would protect the value of crops while ensuring public safety.

So far, two deaths in Texas have been linked to the salmonella outbreak, which began in April and has sickened 1,148 people. More than a third of those are in Texas, where 448 cases have been reported.

Tomatoes haven't been ruled out as a source, and federal officials continue to warn against eating red plum, red Roma and red round tomatoes unless they're from regions cleared by the FDA.

But the investigation has shifted to hot peppers after federal investigators found the Saintpaul strain in fresh jalapenos. Investigators found that some people who became infected had eaten raw peppers, but not tomatoes. The salmonella strain has not been found in tomato samples tested by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Another scare could devastate Florida's $500 million-a-year tomato industry, Spencer warned.

"We found out what happens when consumers get scared," he said. "They stop buying."

Reporter Russell Ray can be reached at (813) 259-7870 or rray@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT