North American Tomato Crisis ‘08
The U. S. Food and Drug Administration as well as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have both issued warnings about eating raw tomatoes. So far no cases have actually appeared in Canada, but the U. S. infection may have spread across nine states with the hardest hit being Texas and New Mexico. Other states reporting outbreaks are Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, and Utah.
An advisory from federal agencies warns consumers in Texas and New Mexico not to eat raw red plum, roma or full-sized round tomatoes other than those sold on the vine or grown at home. The CDC said in a news release that the specific variety and the origin of tomatoes are still under investigation, but that “preliminary data suggest that large tomatoes, including roma and red round, are the source. Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes and tomatoes on the vine have not been implicated. Preliminary indications are that the tomatoes are from Mexico. The first illnesses in New Mexico were reported May 6 and have been linked to tomatoes purchased at Wal-Mart.
- Salmonella is a potentially deadly type of food poisoning, symptoms of which include fever, abdominal pain, nausea, gas and bloody diarrhea. Symptoms appear within 36 hours of exposure, and usually last four to seven days. In very severe cases, Salmonella can lead to kidney failure and other complications. Salmonella can be particularly dangerous for children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. Some victims of Salmonella will develop a disease called Reiter’s Syndrome, a difficult- to- treat condition that causes severe joint pain, irritation of the eyes, and painful urination. Reiter’s Syndrome can plague its victims for months or years, and can lead to chronic arthritis.
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