Fast-food giants take raw tomatoes off the menu
June 10, 2008
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Nick Kyonka
STAFF REPORTER
A salmonella outbreak south of the border has led a string of Canadian fast-food chains to pull raw tomatoes from their menus.
McDonalds, Tim Hortons, Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut have all reportedly removed any form of raw tomatoes from their products since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning Saturday about the unusual outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul.
Commonly found in animal products – especially poultry and swine – symptoms of salmonella include nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea and fevers.
The origins of this particular outbreak have been traced and narrowed down to certain types of tomatoes, the FDA said in the warning released Saturday. They include red plum, red Roma and red round tomatoes. Infected tomatoes may appear healthy, the administration also noted, and were capable of spreading the bacteria quickly to other surfaces, such as cutting boards and countertops. Other types of tomatoes, the administration said, were likely okay for consumption.
The FDA has received 145 reported cases of the illness in at least 16 states since the outbreak began in mid-April. As of Saturday, at least 23 people had been hospitalized. As of yesterday, no related deaths had been reported.
Canadian tomatoes have also been cleared of any link to the illnesses and no cases have been reported in Canada.
While, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the Public Health Agency of Canada continue to monitor the outbreak closely, officials said, they had not warned grocers or restaurants to remove the identified American tomatoes from their shelves. Because the FDA had not pinpointed the exact source of the outbreak to a particular type of tomato, said Alain Charette of the CFIA, it would be "excessive" to start recommending products be pulled immediately.
"For a recall to happen, we would need to have a clear demonstration of a problem with the food," he said, noting, "it is not as common that (salmonella) gets on tomatoes."
If consumers are concerned about eating red tomatoes, he said, their best bet is to cook them sufficiently to kill the bacteria.
Toronto Star