Fla., Mexico still suspected in tomato recall

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/feds-say-florida-mexico-still/story.aspx?guid=%7B63C1DDA7-2442-4B9B-91F0-ECCDEC5F1DFC%7D&dist=hplatest


By Val Brickates Kennedy & Matt Andrejczak, MarketWatch
Last update: 5:21 p.m. EDT June 11, 2008

BOSTON (MarketWatch) -- Tomato growers in Mexico and counties in central Florida still have not been cleared as the source of contaminated tomatoes that have sickened at least 167 people with salmonella poisoning, federal health officials said Wednesday.
During a press conference held Wednesday afternoon, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration said they were using a process of elimination to hone in on which regions were likely the source of the bacterial contamination.
"We're not quite there yet, but we're coming close," said Dr. David Acheson, the FDA's associate commissioner for foods. He added that investigators had also concluded that certain types of tomatoes such as cherry, vine-ripened and grape were not the culprit.
Key to their investigation was determining which regions were known to be harvesting tomatoes in mid-April, the time that the first contaminated vegetables would have been picked.
"When it comes to Florida, it's a mixed picture," said Acheson. He said later that the central region of Florida was still under investigation.
Acheson also said that Mexico had not been excluded. "We're working closely with the Mexican authorities," he said, adding that any ban on Mexican tomatoes was "premature."
The first case of salmonella poisoning was confirmed on April 16, with the last on May 26. Officials noted, however, that they were still receiving reports of new cases, although it as not yet known if they are linked to the same outbreak.
Florida and California are the nation's largest tomato producers, making up around 70% of the commercially produced fresh-market tomatoes in the U.S.
While the FDA has said California is not the source of the bad tomatoes -- California ships tomatoes from June through December -- Florida is still a source of concern.
So far, the FDA has cleared 19 counties in Florida, whose tomato crop was worth $464 million last year, according to U.S. Agriculture Department data. April and May are the state's biggest producing months, also coinciding with the start of the reported illnesses.
Two important tomato growing counties -- Collier and Dade, located in southern Florida -- are not on the exemption list.
Dade County accounts for 10% of Florida's annual tomato crop, while Collier and Manatee counties make up 25% of the output, based on USDA statistics.
In a conference call with reporters, Dr. Acheson said the investigation is looking at areas in central Florida. Tomato shipments start from southern Florida in the winter, moving up the state as the growing season extends into late June.
The FDA warning, issued a week ago, is having an economic impact.
At least $40 million worth of tomatoes went unharvested, unpacked, or rejected, according to the Palm Beach Post, citing an official at the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange.
And McDonald's, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Burger King, and other food retailers have yanked tomatoes from their menus. Besides Florida, Mexico is being probed by FDA investigators.
Mexico, the largest exporter of fresh tomatoes to the U.S., supplies most of its tomatoes to the U.S. in the winter months, supplementing Florida's output. The bulk of Mexico's tomatoes are sold in the western U.S., according to the USDA.
The FDA said tomatoes exported to the U.S. from Canada, Netherlands, Dominican Republic, Belgium, Costa Rica and Israel are safe to eat.
Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia -- the nation's other larger tomato producers -- also have been cleared of being the source of the tainted tomatoes.
Officials said that to date, 167 cases of a rare strain of the bacterium salmonella St. Paul had been confirmed, with 23 of those victims requiring hospitalization. The cases were reported in 17 states.
However, the bulk of those cases are located in the southwest. According to Dr. Ian Williams, chief of the CDC's OutbreakNet Team, 39 of the cases are in New Mexico, while 56 are in Texas. Florida has no reported cases of sickness from the tomato-salmonella.
Through genetic testing of the bodily fluids of the patients, officials were able to confirm the cases were related, the health authorities added.
"It's likely that many more infections are out there that haven't been recognized yet," Acheson said.
In comparison, the FDA said there are 1.4 million cases of salmonella poisoning a year, resulting in about 15,000 hospitalizations and 400 deaths. Only three of those reported cases were of the St. Paul strain in question.
Acheson noted that one challenge in identifying the source of the contamination is that unlike bagged produce, loose tomatoes carry no markings.
In addition, the contaminated produce appears to have been widely distributed. Acheson said that some victims report buying the contaminated produce at grocery stores, while others apparently have gotten sick after eating at restaurants.


Val Brickates Kennedy is a reporter for MarketWatch in Boston.
Matt Andrejczak is a reporter for MarketWatch in San Francisco.