Pass the tomatoes ... not!
On Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed that there have been 167 reported cases of salmonella saintpaul nationwide since April 16, including 23 hospitalizations from the illness. The FDA recommended that consumers avoid eating raw red plum tomatoes, red Roma tomatoes, and red round tomatoes or products containing these varieties.
Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, homegrown tomatoes, and tomatoes sold on the vine have not been linked to the illness and are not likely the source of the outbreak.
The FDA has indicated that certain tomato-growing areas are not associated with the outbreak, including tomatoes grown in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, certain counties in Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Belgium, Canada, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Israel, Netherlands and Puerto Rico.
Several national chains, including McDonald’s, Wal-Mart, KFC, Burger King and Taco Bell have decided to pull red plum, red Roma, and red round tomatoes from their menus, unless the tomatoes were grown in one of the states or countries that are not associated with the outbreak.
On Wednesday, Shawn Lewis, owner of the Light Post Restaurant in Princeton, said that they are still offering customers the choice of whether or not they would like tomatoes with their meal.
Mary Kramer of Kramer’s Kitchen in Princeton said that the restaurant would be pulling all tomatoes for now, but they might return to the menu in a few days once they are cleared.
“Our distributor assured us that they (the tomatoes) were OK, but I just don’t feel comfortable,” Kramer said when asked why the restaurant would not be serving tomatoes.
Sullivan’s Foods manager Ron Bohnsack said Sullivan’s Foods would continue to sell their tomatoes because none of the store’s tomatoes come from an affected area. The store will place a sign in the produce section stating that the tomatoes do not come from one of those areas.
Pat Lebahn of the Bureau County Health Department said there have been no reported cases of salmonella saintpaul in Bureau County. Lebahn said symptoms of salmonella include headache, muscle aches, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, chills, fever and dehydration. Symptoms typically begin about six to 72 hours after eating infected food and can last from 24 hours up to 12 days.
Lebahn said a person who suspects that he or she may have salmonella can seek help from a doctor. Drinking fluids is recommended to help prevent dehydration. Often, the bacteria that causes salmonella illness must run its course before all symptoms disappear.
Andrea Gress, sanitarian at the Bureau County Health Department offered a few recommendations for safe food handling practices at home.
“Avoid bruised or damaged produce and discard anything that appears to be spoiled,” Gress said. “Produce should always be washed with running water before eating or cooking. Once produce has been cooked or peeled, it should be refrigerated within two hours. All produce should be kept separate from raw meat and seafood to avoid contamination. Make sure to wash cutting boards, dishes and tabletops with hot, soapy water when switching between foods.”
The Illinois Department of Public Health has not yet confirmed the source of the salmonella saintpaul strain in Illinois that has caused 27 cases of the illness so far, but strongly advises consumers to continue using safe food handling practices to prevent illness.
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