Tomato Update
From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention June 23, 2008 update on the Salmonella saintpaul contamination of red raw tomatoes. To date, 613 cases of illness caused by Salmonella saintpaul with a common genetic fingerprint. The cases have occurred in 33 states but most of the cases ahve been found in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. For every reported case, there may be up to 38 cases that go unreported, where the individual did not visit health care practitioners. To date, no cases have been reported in Hawaii.
FDA has issued a warning to consumers nationwide that an outbreak of Salmonella serotype Saintpaul, an uncommon type of Salmonella, has been linked to consumption of some raw red plum, red Roma, round red tomatoes, and products containing these raw tomatoes.
Plum or Roma tomatoes Red round tomatoes
According to the June 23, 2008 FDA update, the FDA recommends conuming raw red plum, raw red Roma or raw red round tomatoes ONLY if grown and harvested from the following areas that HAVE NOT BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE OUTBREAK.
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida (counties of: Jackson, Gadsden, Leon, Jefferson, Madison, Suwannee, Hamilton, Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee, Hardee, DeSoto, Sarasota, Highlands, Pasco, Sumter, Citrus, Hernando, Charlotte)*
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Belgium
- Canada
- Dominican Republic
- Guatemala
- Israel
- Mexican States (Aguascalientes, Baja California Norte, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Colima, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Distrito Federal, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, México, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, Tobasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatán, Zacatecas) New!
- Netherlands
- Puerto Rico
Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, from all sources, and tomatoes grown at home are also not linked to the outbreak and can be eaten.
Food safety must begin on the farm. But contamination can take place all along the process. And if the food is meant to be eaten raw, or isn't cooked or cooked properly, there is plenty of opportunities for food borne illness. Forbes magazine has a June 23, 2008 article on Top Food Safety Misconceptions.
According to Forbes, Top Food Safety Misconceptions are:
- That You Can Wash it Off
- That Local Means Safe
- That Fruits and Vegetables Are Safer that Meat Products
- That it Won't Happen to You
- That Cooking Kills Everything
- That a Meat Thermometer Isn't Necessary
- That Food Left Out is Harmless
To get more about the various misconceptions about Food Safety, I suggest the BarfBlog, Musings from the International Food Safety Network.