Health District Issues Tomato Warnings

By John Voket

After learning that one Connecticut resident had been diagnosed as part of a rapidly widening salmonella outbreak, the Newtown Health District instituted a multifaceted effort to warn every food service operation in town, from grocery and deli counters to restaurants, schools, and other institutional kitchens.

“We sent out a fax alerting food service locations about the most recent federal and state warnings,” said health district food inspector Suzette LeBlanc. “And if they didn’t have a fax machine, we used e-mail or called them directly by phone.”

That warning, posted Tuesday, June 9 states: “Restaurants, grocery stores, and food service operators have been advised by the FDA not to offer for sale or service raw red plum, Roma, or red tomatoes and products made from these types of tomatoes unless they are from one of the listed (source states or countries).” Since Monday, an increasing number of restaurants and other food serving establishments, including national chains like Burger King, regional grocers like Big Y, and even the local Newtown General Store, removed raw tomatoes from their menus.

By Wednesday, however, the federal government and state health agencies narrowed the likely distribution sources of affected supplies to the extent that a list of two dozen states and several countries are now cleared as tomato supply sources. A complete list of these supply sources as well as up-to-the-minute information on the salmonella outbreak are accessible on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, cdc.gov.

The salmonella outbreak, which at press time affected 18 states, is being tied to red plumb, red Roma and red round tomatoes that have sickened 167 persons, put 23 in the hospital, and contributed to the death of an elderly Texas resident who was also suffering from advanced stage cancer.

Besides recommending the sale or use of tomatoes from only the approved list of source locations, Ms LeBlanc suggested anyone in possession of the store-bought vegetables discard them.

“If you cook food to 165 degrees, you greatly reduce the risk of infection from a food-borne illness, but the state Health Department is even advising consumers to not eat tomatoes that have been cooked,” Ms LeBlanc said.

State Tomatoes OK

Connecticut Department of Agriculture Commissioner Philip Prelli and Consumer Protection Commissioner Jerry Farrell Jr are jointly announcing to consumers that at this time, Connecticut-grown tomatoes appear to be safe.

“Connecticut tomatoes are delicious and appear at this time to be safe, and buying local helps Connecticut agriculture,” Commissioner Prelli said. “While current crops are limited, we want to reassure consumers as to the safety of Connecticut tomatoes before the start of Connecticut’s tomato season.”

“We are continuing to work with the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Public Health, and the Food and Drug Administration on this issue,” Commissioner Farrell said. “We agree with Commissioner Prelli that Connecticut tomatoes appear safe at this time.”

Both commissioners also want to update consumers on the recent announcement by the Florida Department of Agriculture on the safety of tomatoes grown in that state. According to the FDA website, www.fda.gov, shipments of tomatoes harvested in the Florida counties of: Jackson, Gadsden, Leon, Jefferson, Madison, Suwannee, Hamilton, Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee, Hardee, DeSoto, Sarasota, Highlands, Pasco, Sumter, Citrus, Hernando, and Charlotte are acceptable with a certificate issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

“At least one illness related to this outbreak has been reported in Connecticut, so we are paying very close attention to the issue,” Commissioner Farrell said. “Connecticut consumers need to take precautions, and should ask for the source of the tomatoes they are buying. If the tomatoes already at home can’t be tracked to their source from any label or packaging, it’s best to avoid eating them until more information becomes available. We continue to work closely with the FDA and our own state public health officials on this.”

Jim Shortt of Shortt’s Farm & Garden Center of Newtown, which is not among the Newtown Health District’s food service locations to be notified, told The Newtown Bee Wednesday that he was not aware of the extent the outbreak was affecting the tomato supply chain.

“Everybody wants tomatoes, they’re in everything…raw salads, sauces, chutneys,” Mr Shortt commented. “I wasn’t aware of the extent of the outbreak until you contacted us, but I think if it’s that widespread, it would only serve to drive even more people to local growers directly or to farmers’ markets.”

While he was not seeing a rush of customers this week looking to buy up all the remaining tomato plants he sells, he has seen a marked increase in customers purchasing a variety of vegetable plants and seeds, who are looking to grow their own supplies in the wake of fuel and food price increases.

“And the farm markets are starting to sell their greenhouse tomatoes, which were planted back in February,” he added.

Disease Seldom Fatal

According to the CDC, salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections particularly in young children, frail or elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.

In rare circumstances, the organism can get into the bloodstream and produce more severe illnesses. Consumers who have recently eaten raw tomatoes or foods containing raw tomatoes and are experiencing any of these symptoms should contact their health care provider. All salmonella infections should be reported to state or local health authorities.

According to the Associated Press, the government was still trying to pinpoint the source of the dangerous bacteria Tuesday.

“It’s narrowing down rapidly. We hope that in the next few days we’ll be in a position to identify the exact source,” US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach said while speaking at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco.

Asked if the contaminated tomatoes could have come from overseas, he said, “That’s one of the possibilities. That’s certainly one of the things we’re looking at.”

Information on safe handling of produce can be found at www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/prodsafe.html.

A tomato consumer page can be found at www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html.