Hold the Ketchup!

This is just in: Raw red tomatoes come under scrutiny after a multi-state outbreak of the foodborne disease salmonella incites the US Food and Drug Administration to issue a warning to consumers.

The FDA has alerted people in New Mexico and Texas that a salmonellosis outbreak appears to be linked to consumption of certain types of raw red tomatoes, and products containing raw red tomatoes. The bacteria causing the illnesses are Salmonella serotype Saintpaul, an uncommon type of Salmonella.

Salmonella is one of the most common enteric (intestinal) infections in the United States with an estimated 1.4 million cases of salmonellosis occuring each year in the US: 95 per cent of those cases are foodborne-related.

Salmonella infection occurs when the bacteria are ingested, typically from food derived from infected food-animals, but it can also occur by ingesting the feces of an infected animal or person.

“An epidemiologic investigation conducted by the New Mexico and Texas Departments of Health and the Indian Health Service using interviews comparing foods eaten by ill and well persons has identified consumption of raw tomatoes as the likely source of the illnesses in New Mexico and Texas,” confirmed the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week.

While the specific type and source of tomatoes is under investigation, the center comments that “preliminary data suggest that large tomatoes, including Roma and red round are the source.”

At this time, the FDA is advising that consumers in New Mexico and Texas should limit their tomato consumption to cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, and tomatoes grown at home. reading the FDA website, I note that during the past decade, the consumption of fresh and fresh-cut tomatoes has been linked to 12 different outbreaks of foodborne illness in the United States. Those outbreaks include 1,840 confirmed cases of illness.

In response to these outbreaks, last year the FDA began a multi-year Tomato Safety Initiative to reduce the incidence of tomato-related food-borne illness. The Initiative is a collaborative effort between FDA and the state health and agriculture departments in Virginia and Florida, in cooperation with several universities and members of the produce industry.

Tags: Food Alert, Health Issue, Tomato