By Georgina Gustin, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
ST. LOUIS -- Area grocery stores have pulled some fresh tomatoes from their shelves after learning that a salmonella outbreak traced to certain tomato varieties has sickened 145 people in 16 states.
Schnucks, Dierberg's, Shop 'n Save, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and Wal-Mart said Monday they have stopped selling varieties of tomatoes connected to the outbreak. Some restaurants, including McDonald's, Burger King and Taco Bell, also said they won't serve tomatoes linked to the illnesses until further notice. All of the businesses said they voluntarily removed the tomatoes as a precaution.
There have been no reported cases in the St. Louis area; 27 were reported in northeastern Illinois.
The source of the contaminated tomatoes is unclear, but investigations coordinated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have identified larger, raw tomatoes -- Roma, plum and round red tomatoes -- as the likely source.
The FDA said it was working to determine where the tomatoes came from, and whether they could be linked to one grower or region.
"We are working hard and fast on this one," said Kimberly Rawlings, an FDA spokeswoman, "and we hope to have something as quickly as possible."
The FDA said cherry and grape tomatoes, those sold on the vine, and homegrown tomatoes are not implicated in the outbreak.
The FDA also said that tomatoes from certain growing areas have not been associated with the outbreak. These include: Arkansas, California, Georgia, Hawaii, North and South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. If consumers are unsure where their tomatoes were grown, the FDA is encouraging them to contact the store where they bought them for more information.
Consumers also are being cautioned that raw tomatoes are often used in the preparation of fresh salsas and guacamole. Qdoba restaurants, for example, stopped serving its pico de gallo sauce, which contains raw tomatoes, after being warned of the outbreak. A spokesman for the chain said, however, that it is now sourcing its tomatoes from the growing areas not linked to the outbreak and has started serving the sauce again.
The initial cases of the illness were reported last week in Texas and New Mexico. But the FDA expanded its warning nationwide on Saturday after more cases were confirmed.
The illnesses began between April 16 and May 27, with patients ranging in age from 1 to 82 years old. At least 23 were hospitalized, though none has died.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began noticing an unusually high number of salmonella cases during the last two months, an agency spokeswoman said. The strain in question, Salmonella Saintpaul, is uncommon, with only three reported cases in 2007.
After comparing laboratory results and conducting surveys and interviews, the agency developed a hypothesis that the cases were linked to tomatoes. After that, the FDA took up the matter and is now attempting to trace the contamination back to its source or sources.
People infected with salmonella develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps, usually 12 to 72 hours after coming into contact with the bacteria. The illness usually lasts four to seven days. Salmonella infection can, in rare cases, cause death.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
To see more of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.stltoday.com.
Copyright (c) 2008, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
MCD, BKC, YUM, SVU, WFMI, WMT,
A service of YellowBrix, Inc.
ST. LOUIS -- Area grocery stores have pulled some fresh tomatoes from their shelves after learning that a salmonella outbreak traced to certain tomato varieties has sickened 145 people in 16 states.
Schnucks, Dierberg's, Shop 'n Save, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and Wal-Mart said Monday they have stopped selling varieties of tomatoes connected to the outbreak. Some restaurants, including McDonald's, Burger King and Taco Bell, also said they won't serve tomatoes linked to the illnesses until further notice. All of the businesses said they voluntarily removed the tomatoes as a precaution.
There have been no reported cases in the St. Louis area; 27 were reported in northeastern Illinois.
The source of the contaminated tomatoes is unclear, but investigations coordinated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have identified larger, raw tomatoes -- Roma, plum and round red tomatoes -- as the likely source.
The FDA said it was working to determine where the tomatoes came from, and whether they could be linked to one grower or region.
"We are working hard and fast on this one," said Kimberly Rawlings, an FDA spokeswoman, "and we hope to have something as quickly as possible."
The FDA said cherry and grape tomatoes, those sold on the vine, and homegrown tomatoes are not implicated in the outbreak.
The FDA also said that tomatoes from certain growing areas have not been associated with the outbreak. These include: Arkansas, California, Georgia, Hawaii, North and South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. If consumers are unsure where their tomatoes were grown, the FDA is encouraging them to contact the store where they bought them for more information.
Consumers also are being cautioned that raw tomatoes are often used in the preparation of fresh salsas and guacamole. Qdoba restaurants, for example, stopped serving its pico de gallo sauce, which contains raw tomatoes, after being warned of the outbreak. A spokesman for the chain said, however, that it is now sourcing its tomatoes from the growing areas not linked to the outbreak and has started serving the sauce again.
The initial cases of the illness were reported last week in Texas and New Mexico. But the FDA expanded its warning nationwide on Saturday after more cases were confirmed.
The illnesses began between April 16 and May 27, with patients ranging in age from 1 to 82 years old. At least 23 were hospitalized, though none has died.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began noticing an unusually high number of salmonella cases during the last two months, an agency spokeswoman said. The strain in question, Salmonella Saintpaul, is uncommon, with only three reported cases in 2007.
After comparing laboratory results and conducting surveys and interviews, the agency developed a hypothesis that the cases were linked to tomatoes. After that, the FDA took up the matter and is now attempting to trace the contamination back to its source or sources.
People infected with salmonella develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps, usually 12 to 72 hours after coming into contact with the bacteria. The illness usually lasts four to seven days. Salmonella infection can, in rare cases, cause death.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
To see more of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.stltoday.com.
Copyright (c) 2008, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
MCD, BKC, YUM, SVU, WFMI, WMT,
A service of YellowBrix, Inc.
