New information was released by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today regarding the
Salmonella outbreak, which is related to tainted tomatoes and the source may be
in Mexico and South and Central Florida. Health officials now believe that this
is related to a single geographic region and said that investigators are
focusing on two food chains, although they are not releasing their names or
locations. This has been a terrible blow for the tomato industry, which
produced $1.28 billion of the fruit in 2007.The FDA has linked the Salmonella outbreak to raw round, Roma and plum tomatoes and has provided a list of states that are on the safe list. They have noted that California, Georgia, New York, Canada, Dominican Republic and Guatemala are among those on the safe list. They have also cleared North Florida, in which tomatoes were not widely available at the time of the outbreak.
The focus now is on Mexico and South and Central Florida, as they were the largest producers at the time. The Mexican government feels as though they are being targeted as the uncommon Salmonella saintpaul bacteria have never been identified in Mexico. The Mexican Economy Secretary, Eduardo Sojo, indicated today that the Mexican government may seek compensation for producers who are losing million because they are unable to export to the US. The agriculture ministry may send a delegation to the US next week to help convince officials that their tomatoes are safe to eat. So far, this outbreak has sickened 228 people in 23 states, and if this issue is not resolved soon, it could have a severe impact on the national industry.
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