Who said `tomato?'
Salmonella scare might be caused by another source
We might have a Veggie-tale mystery on our hands, but this one is serious. Health officials fear that investigators from New Mexico and Texas, which led the early probe of a salmonella scare involving tomatoes, might have made the basic mistake of failing to account for foods other than tomatoes before identifying the disease's true source in late May.
Texas and New Mexico health officials say that all signs pointed to tomatoes and that they preferred to "err on the side of safety" to protect public health after more than 800 Americans contracted salmonella. The investigation led to many Mexican restaurants where salsa seemed to be the common link to the disease. But now, investigators in both states are looking at whether peppers, cilantro or other ingredients in salsa and guacamole might be responsible for the outbreak, though the federal government is still warning consumers to avoid certain tomatoes, according to one story from the Baltimore Sun.
The salmonella outbreak should be petering out if contaminated tomatoes were the cause, because tomatoes have a limited shelf life and many consumers have been avoiding them. Yet, the number of reported cases has continued to grow, and investigators have failed to identify the source.
Admission of a mistake, after consumers across the country shunned tomatoes and the food industry lost up to $250 million, could deepen criticism of a government food safety system that has been attacked for failing to prevent illnesses and deaths resulting from the contamination of a string of products, including peanut butter and bagged spinach, in recent years.
"It's bad, and I think everyone will be very apologetic" if it turns out tomatoes weren't the source, said Tim Jones, Tennessee's state epidemiologist, describing himself as "increasingly concerned" about whether tomatoes are to blame.
Be the first to comment