Jul 21 2008
Tomatoes, Back Up For Grabs!
Just when you though it was safe to go back in the water…
Oh, wait. That’s another story entirely!
But fans of fresh tomatoes can now rejoice as the U.S. government declared late last week that tomatoes are back on the market.
That being said, an APB is still out on hot peppers, including fresh jalapenos and serranos, and any dishes that may contain them, such as fresh salsa. Another possible suspect is fresh cilantro.
While all fingers originally pointed to tomatoes as the culprit of the recent salmonella outbreak, which has sickened 1,220 people in 42 states since April 10 (the latest illness reported was July 4), today’s tomatoes in fields and stores are safe to eat, according to Dr. David Acheson, the Food and Drug Administration’s food safety chief.
The even better news is that there are 288 days until Cinco de Mayo–surely all of this will be figured out by then!
