FDA: Tomatoes grown in California are safe

http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2008/06/09/daily15.html

Tomatoes from California have not been implicated in recent outbreaks of illnesses from Salmonella bacteria, the U.S. Food And Drug Administration said in a news release Saturday.

The FDA warned consumers nationwide to avoid raw plum, roma and round, red tomatoes, unless they were grown in Arkansas, California, Georgia, Hawaii, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennesee, Texas, Belgium, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Israel, the Netherlands or Puerto Rico.

Consumers should contact the store where they bought tomatoes if they don't know where the fruit came from. Also, consumers should look out for tomatoes in fresh salsa, guacamole, pico de gallo and other dishes. Harvest season in California usually starts in July.

Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes and tomatoes sold with the vine still attached are safe to eat, the FDA said.

Since mid-April there have been 145 reported illnesses from Salmonella serotype Saintpaul, an unusual form of the bacteria. At least 23 people have been hospitalized.

States that have reported illnesses from the outbreak are California, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Symptoms of Salmonella infection include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. The disease can be fatal in children, elderly people and people with weakened immune systems.

The California Department of Public Health confirmed today that one resident of Contra Costa County has Salmonella Saintpaul. The Salmonella Saintpaul is related to the multistate outbreak associated with consumption of tomatoes. State and local officials are investigating whether the individual, who had traveled out of state, consumed the tomatoes in California or in another part of the country.

Additionally, CDPH is working with public health officials in Oregon to determine if an Oregon resident confirmed to have Salmonella Saintpaul associated with the multistate outbreak may have consumed tomatoes while visiting Southern California.

CDPH is working closely with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and local health departments in California to determine the source of the tomatoes these individuals may have consumed and to identify any additional cases linked to this outbreak.

CDPH recommends Californians use caution in selecting tomatoes based on guidance from the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA has no indication that tomatoes grown in California are associated with this outbreak.