Salmonella Outbreak in Tomatoes Is Expanding

As the number of reported illnesses linked to salmonella-tainted tomatoes goes up, so does pressure on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to find the source of this rare strain of bacteria. Since our last report, the number of illnesses has risen to 228 people in 23 states, compared to 167 people in 17 states at the beginning of the week. New cases have been reported in Florida, Georgia, Missouri, New York, Tennessee and Vermont.

The FDA is continuing to urge consumers to avoid eating or handling raw red plum, raw red Roma, and raw red round tomatoes unless they come from one of the 28 U.S. states or 7 countries deemed safe by food-safety and health inspectors. "There are plenty of tomatoes on the market that are safe," Dr. David Acheson, the FDA's associate commissioner for foods, said in a conference call. However, the task of identifying the original source of a tomato is a problem for consumers.

Tomato growers in Florida and Mexico, both large suppliers in the U.S., are concerned over lost sales. In Florida, 19 counties are safe to ship their tomatoes again, but top-producing counties, such as Dade and Collier, are still under investigation. State officials said the Florida Agriculture Department has issued certificates verifying the origin of what they estimate as several thousand loads. "This allows us to get Florida tomatoes back into supermarkets and restaurants and to move forward in rebuilding consumer confidence in safe, healthy produce," said Reggie Brown, executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange. "Our growers are working overtime to get their products back into the marketplace." During this past week, many crops have remained either in the fields, in packing houses, or in distribution warehouses, resulting in what tomato growers estimate as a $500 million impact on the economy.

While some tomato-producing areas of Mexico have been cleared since they weren't harvesting when the illnesses were reported, the remainder of the country is still under investigation as a possible source. According to Dr. Acheson, the FDA is "in active dialogue" with Mexican authorities, but "haven't sent anyone to Mexico because we don't have a place specifically identified." The Associated Press reports Mexican tomato growers say the FDA's actions have stalled their exports to the U.S. and squashed their business.

Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado, vice chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, called the tomato salmonella outbreak "just the latest in a steady stream of incidents over the past year." She is calling for new laws allowing the Agriculture Department and the FDA to issue mandatory food recalls. In her bill H.R. 3485, the TRACE ACT, she also proposes the implementation of a tracing system which would allow investigators to almost instantly ascertain the origin should an outbreak occur. She said many industries already use these tracking systems that could also be used on produce. She points to examples such as UPS and FedEx that can "instantaneously locate a package anywhere in the world and access its status at every stage along its route. In the food industry, Dole Foods and many beer distributors can trace their products through the supply chain."

On Thursday's editorial page, The Washington Post supported passage of DeGette's bill. The editorial said that the Food Safety Act of 2007, currently under consideration in the House, contains DeGette's provision that would give food safety officials the power to issue a mandatory recall of contaminated food. The editorial said the proposal is "more than reasonable since the federal government can and did recall lead-tainted toys imported from China last year." The editorial also points out that "the hammer of potential government action would be a powerful incentive for growers and packers to conform to safety standards."