Consumer Affair
Florida tomatoes safe to eat, Salmonella source unknown
By Sue Mueller
Jun 14, 2008 - 10:13:01 AM

WEDNESDAY June 14, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) – Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson on June 10 announced that tomatoes produced in his state are now officially recognized as safe to eat and not implicated in the ongoing salmonella outbreak.

Florida had not been recognized as a safe source by the Food and Drug Administration for a few days, causing huge concerns among the tomato growers whose truckloads of tomatoes were turned away by retailers concerned about the safety issue raised by the FDA.

At this time, part of the state is still a suspect as the source of tainted tomatoes that caused the multi-state outbreak, media cited government officials saying on Friday.   Another possible source is Mexico.  But the government has not officially identified the source.

Many stores and eateries with national significance have already stopped selling or serving the suspect tomatoes, including McDonald's, Chipotle Mexican grill Inc, Burger King, Texas Roadhouse, H.E. Butt Grocery Co., Wal-Mart stores, Albertsons and Whole Foods.

Retailers are now being notified of Florida's addition to the "safe to eat" list and Florida tomatoes are expected to be back on store shelves soon.

The FDA also updated June 10 on its website to recognize the Florida’s safe status.   The agency said shipments of tomatoes harvested in counties including Jackson, Gadsden, Leon, Jefferson, Madison, Suwannee, Hamilton, Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee, Hardee, DeSoto, Sarasota, Highlands, Pasco, Sumter, Citrus, Hernando, Charlotte are acceptable with a certificate issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS).

Currently, according to Bronson's statement, tomato harvesting is underway in three areas of the state, Quincy near Tallahassee and Ruskin and Palmetto near the Tampa area.  

"In 2006-2007, Florida tomato industry had $464 million in cash receipts. They have an estimated direct and indirect economic value of $1.1 Billion in Total Direct and Indirect economic impact, provide over 15,700 jobs and contribute $58 million dollars indirectly to local and state tax revenue streams," the FDACS says in a press release.

As of June 12, the Salmonella outbreak, according to the CDC, has resulted in 228 cases of illness and at least 25 hospitalizations in 23 states including Arizona (19 persons), California (2), Colorado (1), Connecticut (1), Florida (1), Georgia (7), Idaho (3), Illinois (29), Indiana (7), Kansas (5), Michigan (2), Missouri (2), New Mexico (55), New York (1), Oklahoma (3), Oregon (3), Tennessee (3), Texas (68), Utah (2), Virginia (9), Vermont (1), Washington (1), and Wisconsin (3).  But no deaths were reported.

Salmonella can cause fever, diarrhea and stomach and the bacteria are particularly dangerous to young children, the elderly and those with their immune system compromised although healthy people can clear the symptoms within 4 to 7 days without treatment.

As of June 13, the FDA has identified the following counties, states and countries as safe producers and their tomatoes were not the source of the Salmonella outbreak : Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, 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, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey ,New York , New Mexico, Nebraska, North Carolina ,Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee ,Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Belgium ,Canada, Dominican Republic ,Guatemala ,Israel, Netherlands, and Puerto Rico.