Organic grape tomatoes recalled for salmonella

[David Baxter PhD]

Organic grape tomatoes recalled for salmonella
CBC News
Sep 30, 2011



The recalled tomatoes were distributed in British Columbia and Ontario and possibly in other provinces.

People shouldn't eat certain organic grape tomatoes because they may be contaminated with salmonella, federal food officials say.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency warned people not to consume Organic Grape Tomatoes, sold in plastic clam shell containers and supplied by Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce of San Diego. The affected product is Limited Edition 0.5 oz (298 g) organic grape tomatoes. The label says Product of Mexico and bears the code 0 33383 65592 5. The tomatoes were distributed in British Columbia and Ontario and possibly in other provinces.

No illnesses associated with the products have been reported.

Food contaminated with salmonella may not look or smell spoiled, but eating these foods may cause illness. In young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems, the salmonella may cause serious and sometimes deadly infections, CFIA said. In otherwise healthy people, the illness may lead to short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Long-term complications may include severe arthritis.

The importers are voluntarily recalling the affected product from the marketplace.

 

[making_art]

I wonder how vegetables get salmonella? I know of it related to chicken or poultry but tomatoes? I am enjoying vegetables from the garden but need to read upon on salmonella and veggies just in case it grows on them!

 

[Daniel E.]

organic fertilizer comes to mind

 

[making_art]

Daniel...yes..here is a good article:

Ask an Expert:Salmonella and Vegetables

Can your vegetables make you sick? Steven LaRosa, MD, director of the Ocean State Clinical Coordinating Center at Rhode Island Hospital and an assistant professor of medicine at Brown Medical School, recently answered questions about salmonella and vegetables.

• What is salmonella?
  Salmonella is a type of bacteria that usually causes gastrointestinal illnesses. Occasionally the bacteria can get into the bloodstream, leading to additional complications.
• How do I get salmonellosis?
  You get salmonellosis from food and water contaminated with salmonella bacteria.
• How does salmonella get in vegetables like tomatoes and lettuce?
  Vegetables can come into contact with contaminated water. A bacteria-carrying person who forgets to wash their hands before food preparation can contaminate vegetables. Vegetables can also become contaminated if placed in close proximity to or mixed with raw poultry, meat or eggs, and unpasteurized milk.
• Which vegetables are most prone to contamination?
  There are no specific vegetables prone to salmonella contamination. Any vegetable, or fruit, even, may be contaminated if in close proximity to bacteria-carrying sources. For example, contaminated mangos and tomatoes each resulted in salmonella outbreaks in 1990, cantaloupes in 1991, and sprouts in 1996.
• In what environments does salmonella grow best and worst?
  All bacteria grow poorly in cool or cold temperatures, so salmonella won’t fare well in the freezer or refrigerator. The closer the temperature is to room temperature, the more likely it is that the bacteria will replicate.
• What are the best methods of killing salmonella? Does cooking kill the bacteria on vegetables?
  The best way is to wash your hands, as well as all preparation surfaces and utensils that have previously come into contact with raw poultry, meat, and eggs, before preparing vegetables. Washing vegetables well should be enough to kill salmonella. By cooking any food product, including vegetables, the risk of contracting a bacteria-related infection goes down tremendously; however, is not eliminated.
• What advice can you give people who like to eat their vegetables raw?
  The best advice is again to wash your hands before contact with vegetables and to keep the raw vegetables far away from possibly contaminated foods and surfaces, such as raw poultry, meat and eggs, and the cooking surfaces they have touched.
• What can cause a widespread outbreak of salmonellosis?
  Bacteria-carrying animals or even produce workers could be responsible for the contamination.
• If left untreated, is a salmonella infection fatal?
  Most cases of salmonella infections are not fatal. The odds of fatality increase if the infection enters the bloodstream, where the infection can spread to a blood vessel or bone. If the infection enters the bloodstream of those in high-risk groups, the fatality odds increase further.

LaRosa suggests visiting the U.S. Centers for Disease Control online for more information about salmonella. Lifespan’s Health Encyclopedia offers additional information about salmonella, as well as other illnesses, conditions and symptoms.

 

[Daniel E.]

I guess the moral of the story is to only buy hydroponic tomatoes from Canada

 

[Yuray]

I guess the moral of the story is to only buy hydroponic tomatoes from Canada

..............and androgynous oranges from Anita Bryant:lol:

 

[H011yHawkJ311yBean]

Apparently there were beansprouts (I think) in Germany contaminated with something nasty last fall or winter (it seemed all the countries involved in beansprout distribution in Europe were all pointing fingers at everyone)... And then I heard cantaloupes had been contaminated with listeria in Walmart in the last couple weeks (some were shipped to Canada but I don't know if was only the ones sold in Walmart that were contaminated)... Man am I glad I had lots of my own garden plants this year... 8P