Well, Hellooo Salmonella Saintpaul: Watch Yer Tomatoes!

CORRECTION, 7/30/08: Well...the FDA has made a fine mess of this, neither able to confirm or deny the culpability of tomatoes, and has moved onto blaming jalapeños grown in Mexico.

I don't know about you, readers, but for me, beautiful, suggestive tomaters are on a short list of valid reasons to suffer an East Coast summer.

So when someone says "salmonella", I seriously contemplate squatting on a beach in Hawaii until September.

Yes folks, there's been another large-scale outbreak of salmonella poisonings, related to the consumption of raw red round tomatoes, roma tomatoes, and plum tomatoes.  The vermin in question bears the holy name Salmonella saintpaul, and has managed to hospitalize 23 so far (via US News & World Report).

Florida, responsible for producing 90% of the nation's tomato crop this time of year, stands to loose a $40 million dollar crop as it awaits inspections clearance from the FDA (via Reuters). 

California tomatoes have already been cleared, as 80% of the state's tomato crop is shouldered by the CA Tomato Cooperative--i.e., smaller farms, smaller batches, with higher standards and tighter control of handling safety and crop freshness (via Mercury News). 

Other safe tomato states/countries include Alabama, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Belgium, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Israel, the Netherlands and Puerto Rico (via US News & World Report; they listed Texas here, but that state seems to be in conflict with other news outlets).

The confirmed cases of poisoning are reportedly centered in Texas and New Mexico, but also extend to Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin (via NBC 25 and SF Chronicle).

The big boys are sucking it up and rejecting tomatoes to keep fast food junkies safe; so far McDonald's, Wal-Mart, Burger King, Kroger, Outback Steakhouse, Winn-Dixie, Trader Joe's, Giant Eagle and Taco Bell are participating in the recall (via CBS News).

The good news (yes, there's good news!): This is far more likely to effect large-scale purchasers of tomatoes, rather than local consumers.  So if you don't expect 25 industrial cases of tomatoes anytime soon, vomiting and explosive diarrhea are easy enough to avoid. 

The green-light tomatoes are: Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes with the vine attached (pictured above), and small-batch tomatoes (i.e. the fancypants heirloom varieties). 

It's a red-letter day for local tomatoes, which tend to look and taste better ANYWAY, so go to your local farmers market and show them some love!

Ya got that? Say it back to me:

1. No fast-food that includes tomatoes: In fact, why not make this an excuse to cut out fast food altogether for a bit, shall we? Cross-contamination wouldn't a be a giant leap in most of those kitchens.
2. No mass-produced red-round, roma, or plum tomatoes: If you're a 'Matophile, it's no great loss, as these varieties tend to be the least appealing, most underripe options in the supermarket at this time of year.
3. School lunches: School lunch kitchens prepare and source tomatoes in a manner almost identical to fast-food kitchens. If you have kids in summer programs, it may be prudent to send yer kids packing with PB&J for the next week or so.
4. READ LABELS: The tomatoes pictured above are on the vine AND they're from Canada (so says the sticker on the tomato), so I know they're kosher.
5. WASH 'EM: This kinda goes without saying, but even safe tomatoes need a rinsey-rinse (a step that a lot of fast food kitchens tend to skimp or skip).

For updated info, check out the FDA site; for a food-safety primer, the CDC site.

Stay safe! (And hydrated...are you wearing sunscreen? Clean underwear????  PUT DOWN THAT DIRTY TOMATO!)

Comments

[From B e h i n d]

SALMONELLA!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=qtLxTNndnh8

[Andrea]

I think this just goes to show that tomatoes are EVIL! DOWN WITH TOMATOES!