Restaurants, including McDonald’s and Taco Bell, as well as grocery stores such as Winn Dixie and Albertson’s, have removed several varieties of tomatoes from menus and store offerings due to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (”FDA”) alert Monday of a salmonella food poisoning outbreak in at least 16 states. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the outbreak has resulted in at least 145 reported cases and 23 hospitalizations.
The FDA has limited its investigation and alert to raw red plum, Roma or round tomatoes and has urged the public to limit consumption of tomatoes to those of the cherry, grape, vine, and homegrown varieties. A list of states that have not been associated with the outbreak is available at http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html.
Source: http://news.findlaw.com/ap/f/1310//06-09-2008/20080609120503_11.html
