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Last Updated: Apr 20, 2011 - 9:38:09 AM |
The following is the FDA consumer information and advice regarding the ongoing salmonella outbreak updated on Friday July 11.
* What kind of illness does Salmonella cause?
People who have eaten food contaminated with Salmonella often have fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. The bacterium can enter the bloodstream and cause more severe illness, although this rarely happens. Infection with Salmonella also may be more serious or fatal in young children, frail or elderly people, and people with weakened immune systems.
* What is Salmonella?
Salmonella is a type of bacterium. The type of Salmonella causing illness in this outbreak, Salmonella Saintpaul, is relatively uncommon. Fruits and vegetables that come into contact with Salmonella may become contaminated with it, causing illness if eaten. Salmonella lives in the intestinal tracts of some animals, and can live in soil and water for months. Once Salmonella has contaminated something, it can be spread from surface to surface. A tomato contaminated with Salmonella can spread the bacterium to the hands of a person who cuts the tomato and to the cutting board on which the tomato is sliced, for example.
* What kinds of raw tomatoes should be avoided during this outbreak?
At this time, consumers should avoid eating or handling raw red plum, raw red Roma, and raw red round tomatoes, and foods containing them, unless they are from regions that have been ruled out as having produced the tomatoes implicated in this outbreak. If consumers already have these kinds of tomatoes in their homes and are unsure where they were grown or harvested, they are encouraged to contact the store where they bought the tomatoes. (Check the list on the FDA website often, because regions continue to be added as they are ruled out as the sources of tomatoes implicated in the outbreak).
* What kinds of raw tomatoes should consumers continue to buy during this outbreak?
Consumers may continue to buy any type of tomato from sources that have NOT been linked to the outbreak and foods that contain them. In addition, raw cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and tomatoes with the vine still attached have not been linked to the outbreak in any region, and consumers may also continue to buy them. Tomatoes grown at home also are not linked to this outbreak.
* What states or countries have been ruled out as the source of tomatoes implicated in of this outbreak?
A current list of states, territories, and countries that have been ruled out as the source of tomatoes implicated in this outbreak is available elsewhere on the FDA website.
The U.S. states in which people have become ill and who reported having eaten tomatoes are not necessarily the areas where the tomatoes were grown. The tomatoes might have been shipped to these states from elsewhere. Check this list on the FDA website often, as more regions that have been ruled out as the sources of tomatoes implicated in the outbreak are being added.
* How can consumers tell where a tomato was grown, harvested, or packed?
Consumers can ask retailers (for example, store and restaurant personnel) where their raw red plum tomatoes, raw red Roma tomatoes, and raw red round tomatoes were produced. If consumers have any doubts about where these types of tomatoes were grown, harvested, or packed, they should discard them. Because grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and tomatoes sold with the vine still attached are not implicated in this outbreak, regardless of where they are from, it's not necessary to ask where they were grown, harvested, or packed.
* Will washing the tomatoes identified in this outbreak make them safe to eat?
Consumers are advised not to try to wash raw red plum, red Roma, or raw red round tomatoes that are implicated in the outbreak. Consumers should throw these tomatoes out. Once produce is contaminated with pathogens such as Salmonella, the contamination is difficult to remove.
* Will peeling the tomatoes implicated in this outbreak make them safe to eat?
Consumers are advised not to try to peel raw red plum, red Roma, or raw red round tomatoes that have not been ruled out as the source of the outbreak. Consumers should throw these tomatoes out. Peeling a tomato that is contaminated on the outside would be likely to spread the contamination to the inside. Also, if the contamination is already on the inside, peeling will not remove it.
* Can cooking tomatoes eliminate Salmonella?
Consumers should not attempt to cook the tomatoes involved in this outbreak in an effort to kill Salmonella. Handling tomatoes contaminated with Salmonella can spread the bacterium to anything the handler touches, including hands, kitchen utensils, cutting boards, sinks, and other foods. Cooking tomatoes in the home will not ensure that Salmonella is eliminated.
* Are canned tomatoes and processed foods containing tomatoes safe for consumers during this outbreak?
Consumers may continue to buy and eat canned or bottled (that is, processed) red plum, red Roma, and red round tomatoes and canned or bottled foods containing these or any other types of tomatoes if they were processed by a commercial food-processing facility. A few examples are the canned tomatoes and canned or bottled tomato juice and spaghetti sauce found in grocery stores.
* Are tomatoes from farmers' markets included in this outbreak?
Farmers' markets get their tomatoes from a variety of sources that are not necessarily limited to local farms. These other sources may include the same ones that provided the tomatoes implicated in the Salmonella outbreak. Consumers should ask retailers at farmers' markets what the sources of their tomatoes are, and frequently check FDA updates for states, territories, and countries not associated with the outbreak.
* During this outbreak, is it safer to eat locally grown tomatoes?
Consumers should confirm with their retailers the sources of tomatoes advertised as "locally grown." Consumers also are reminded that cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and tomatoes with the vine still attached are not implicated in this outbreak, regardless of where they were grown, harvested, or packed. Tomatoes consumers grow at home also are not implicated in the outbreak.
* How should consumers handle raw tomatoes NOT associated with the outbreak?
Again, the tomatoes associated with the outbreak should be thrown out. For tomatoes not associated with the outbreak, consumers should follow the usual recommendations:
o Don't buy or eat tomatoes that look damaged; for example, if the skin of a tomato is broken or the tomato is spoiled, the tomato should be thrown out.
o Stored tomatoes should not come in contact with raw meat, poultry, or eggs.
o Wash hands with soap and warm water before handling tomatoes.
o Wash each tomato thoroughly under running water. Don't wash tomatoes in a tub or sink filled with water.
o When finished washing a tomato, cut out the scar where the stem was, and throw it away.
o Never cut a raw tomato until it has been thoroughly washed.
o Cut the tomato on a clean cutting board, using clean utensils. Don't let the tomato come in contact with other raw foods, including raw meat, poultry, and eggs, or the surfaces they have touched. Wash cutting boards and utensils in between each different type of food that is cut.
o Refrigerate fresh, cut tomatoes (or products made from them, such as salsa) at 41° F or less. (Note: Refrigeration will not kill Salmonella that is already present on tomatoes.)
o Wash hands with soap and warm water after preparing the tomatoes.
The FDA does not recommend using any kinds of detergents to wash fresh produce, because it is not yet known if their residues are harmful to humans.
* *New* Are jalapeño and serrano peppers being investigated as part of this outbreak?
Recently, the CDC found that many, although not all, people who have become ill in this outbreak ate fresh jalapeño or serrano peppers or foods that contained them, such as some types of fresh salsa. Based on this information from the CDC, the FDA is expanding its investigation to include jalapeños and serranos.
* *New* Should consumers avoid fresh jalapeño and serrano peppers or foods that contain them during this outbreak?
At this time, the FDA advises that infants, the elderly, and people with impaired immune systems avoid fresh jalapeño and serrano peppers or foods that contain them.
* *New* Is it safe to eat canned jalapeño and serrano peppers or processed foods that contain them?
Whether or not jalapeño and serrano peppers are found to be the source, or among the sources, of the outbreak, consumers may continue to eat canned jalapeños and serranos processed in a commercial food-processing facility, or foods that contain them; for example, the canned processed jalapeños and processed salsas sold in grocery stores.
* *New* Does the new focus on jalapeño and serrano peppers mean that the types of tomatoes first announced are no longer under suspicion?
As noted, the CDC also found that many, although not all, people who became ill had eaten raw red plum, raw red Roma, or raw red round tomatoes. The caution to avoid these types of raw tomatoes, unless they were produced in one of the regions that have been cleared, remains in place. As before, consumers may continue to eat (1) any types of tomatoes or tomato-containing foods, produced in any location, that have been processed in a commercial food-processing facility, such as those sold in grocery stores; (2) cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, from any location; and (3) tomatoes grown at home.
* What steps are being taken to prevent future illness from this outbreak?
The FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Indian Health Service, and state and local health department officials are collaborating closely to ensure that the outbreak is contained and that consumers and retailers are made aware of the contamination. The food industry is cooperating in the investigation and is assisting government officials in their efforts to identify distribution patterns and to find the source of the contamination, to ensure that additional contaminated tomatoes do not reach consumers.
* Where can consumers find out more about how to keep from becoming sick from fresh produce?
More information about safe handling of fresh produce is available on the FDA website.
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