Salmonella concerns spread

While at the grocer’s a couple of days ago, I saw a woman examining some produce - large red tomatoes. I was surprised to see the heaping display of tomatoes, given the outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul linked to tomatoes in a handful of states last week. I was tempted to warn the lady away from the tomatoes, but envisioned myself having to deal with hostile and suspicious police officers soon afterwards, and so kept my own counsel.

With luck, that lady has since heard the news: Concerns over the tomato-linked salmonella outbreak seem to have gone nationwide. Precautionary removal of red plum, red Roma or round red tomatoes from menus and shelves is underway at such national concerns as McDonald’s, Wal-Mart, Burger King, Outback Steakhouse and Taco Bell. Also pulling the fruit/vegetable/whatever are such grocery chains as Kroger, Winn-Dixie, Trader Joe’s, and Giant Eagle.

A WaPo report notes the tomato varieties and places of origin that are not suspect at this time, according to federal and state health officials:

Tomatoes attached to the vine, cherry and grape tomatoes, and homegrown tomatoes are safe. So are tomatoes grown in Arkansas, California, Georgia, Hawaii, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Puerto Rico. The FDA also cleared tomatoes from Belgium, Canada, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Israel and Netherlands.

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