Tomato recall includes safe list

ANDREW SCHNEIDERP-I SENIOR CORRESPONDENT

Produce managers at most of the nation's grocery chains spent the last two days removing potentially dangerous tomatoes from the shelves and posting signs telling shoppers that what they were still selling was, according to the Food and Drug Administration, salmonella-free.

At the groceries' deli counters, there were no BLTs to be had. All sliced, diced and chopped tomatoes have been eliminated from their menus.

McDonald's, Taco Bell, Wal-Mart, Outback Steakhouse and other national U.S. chains took similar action following federal recommendations that consumers avoid red plum, red Roma or round red tomatoes unless they were grown in certain states and countries.

"Nobody has ever seen a recall like this," said Craig Wilson, Costco's vice president for food safety and quality assurance. "We were lucky at Costco. It worked out that everything we were selling came from states that were considered safe."

Wilson said he'd never seen the FDA being so meticulous about where a specific food that was potentially dangerous did not come from.

"They were carefully walking an amazingly thin line of not trying to kill the entire tomato industry while still keeping the consumers safe," he said.

In previous FDA warnings, such as last year's spinach recall, the public reacted to the rampant publicity by swearing off the vegetable entirely -- not just the tainted crop from one area in California.

While many produce buyers say it's admirable that the FDA is trying to protect tomato growers, most say they wish the agency would say where the damaged fruit originated. Most buyers insist that the tainted crop came from Mexico, but the FDA refused to comment Monday night.

Monday morning, the FDA reported that since mid-April, there have been 145 reported cases of salmonella -- a very unusual type called salmonella saintpaul -- identified in Washington, Oregon and 15 other states. Twenty-three people have been hospitalized.

But by day's end, the number had increased to 166 confirmed cases and 40 new ones in the pipeline, public health officials told the Seattle P-I. The source of the tomatoes responsible for the illnesses has not been pinpointed.

In the Seattle area, though, the food-poisoning threat didn't prompt wholesale dumping of tomatoes.

Checks Monday with corporate spokespeople for Metropolitan Market, QFC, Fred Meyer, Safeway and Whole Foods got the same reply: The tomatoes they're selling are either from "safe geographic areas" or are organic.

The one confirmed salmonella case in Washington involves a teenager from Okanogan County.

State public health laboratories in Shoreline confirmed the youth had been poisoned by salmonella saintpaul.

There are several more suspected cases of salmonella winding their way through Washington state labs. It's a slow process compared to testing other strains, said Dr. Marcia Goldoft, acting state epidemiologist.

"It doesn't like to be tested, and the process is much more complex," she said. "With saintpaul, we wind up testing it again and again, sometimes three or four times. It can take a week or longer to confirm it is saintpaul and possibly connected to the tomatoes."

Across the Oregon border, Dr. Emilio DeBess shared his colleague's concern over the length of time required to get the "genetic fingerprint" of salmonella saintpaul. Nevertheless, the number of confirmed saintpaul cases in Oregon has increased from one to three, with two more possible, said DeBess, a senior public health epidemiologist.

His group has traced the illness to Mexican restaurants in Umatilla and Union counties, DeBess said.

It has been a trying month for salad lovers in Washington. Last week, there were reports of 10 confirmed cases of E. coli infections in Thurston and Pierce counties. However, state Health Department officials believe that the source of the commercial-sized bags of romaine lettuce was a restaurant or institutional food supply outlet.

There is no sign that Washington officials have made a concerted effort to warn restaurants of the new salmonella danger.

Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached and homegrown tomatoes are likely not the source of the outbreak, federal officials said.

Also not associated with the outbreak are raw Roma, red plum and round red tomatoes from these states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.

Imports from Belgium, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Israel, Netherlands and Puerto Rico have been deemed safe to eat.

Canada is also on that list, meaning Seattle-area consumers can continue to enjoy hothouse tomatoes grown in British Columbia.

Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections particularly in young children, frail or elderly people and those with weakened immune systems.

Healthy people often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, the organism can get into the bloodstream and produce more severe illnesses. Consumers who have recently eaten raw tomatoes or foods containing raw tomatoes and are experiencing any of these symptoms should contact their health care provider.

All salmonella infections should be reported to state or local health authorities.

FOOD SAFETY TIPS

A salmonella outbreak linked to raw tomatoes serves as a reminder to take extra care with summer fruits and vegetables. While there is no way for consumers to detect salmonella (you can't smell, taste or see it), there are some things you can do reduce the risk from raw vegetables. Cooking tomatoes at 145 degrees will kill salmonella.

Here are other tips from food safety experts:

Check your tomatoes

The Food and Drug Administration is advising people even in unaffected states to eat only tomatoes not associated with the outbreak: cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached and tomatoes grown at home. For other tomatoes, cut away the part that is attached to the plant and the button on the other side. That part can carry a food-borne illness because it's a hard area and organisms can attach themselves to it.

Wash produce

Wash produce, whether organic or not, with cold running water. Scrub them gently with your hands or with a vegetable brush. Remove outer layers of cabbage and lettuce.

Wash hands, surfaces

Wash your hands with soap and water thoroughly before handling food. Wash your hands if you come in contact with pet feces, use the bathroom or change a baby's diaper. Also wash cutting boards, counters and utensils to avoid cross-contamination. Avoid any kind of contact with raw meat when preparing fresh vegetables. Refrigerate sliced-up fruits and vegetables.

Inquire at restaurants

Ketchup and cooked sauces are not affected by the outbreak. And several restaurants are not serving tomatoes -- on Monday, McDonald's and other chains said they had stopped serving sliced tomatoes in their U.S. restaurants.

Report the illness

Salmonella poisoning generally occurs hours after ingestion and involves symptoms such as abdominal cramps, headache, fever, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. The CDC says symptoms generally appear 12 to 72 hours after infection. People should report a suspected food-borne illness to the local health department.

-- The Associated Press