Tainted Tomato Varieties Pulled From Supermarkets

The Food and Drug Administration is warning the public about a salmonella outbreak linked to certain types of tomatoes.

Three area supermarket chains, Winn-Dixie, Sweetbay and Publix, have pulled those varieties off the shelves out of "an abundance of caution."

On Tuesday, Florida joined the list of states not associated with the outbreak, which includes Arkansas, California, Georgia, Hawaii, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Charles H. Bronson, Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services commissioner, said through a prepared statement that he was already "confident" that Florida was not a source.

"It is critical that consumers know that our tomatoes are safe and delicious," Bronson said. At least 145 people have fallen sick, 23 of those hospitalized, by a rare form of Salmonella after consuming the tomatoes. The FDA lists the suspect varieties as raw red plum, raw red Roma, or raw red round tomatoes.

Raw tomatoes are typically found on food items such as hamburgers, salads, fresh salsa, pico de gallo and guacamole. At the Subway sandwich shop on Cortez Boulevard, manager Tina James says tomatoes were pulled off the menu Sunday morning.

It's peeved some of the customers, but "we're trying to explain it's a safety precaution," James said.

There are some tomatoes that are OK to eat raw. Officials list these as cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes still attached to the vine and homegrown tomatoes. Those types will still be available in grocery stores.

The latter variety keeps the proprietors of Broad Street Cafe out of the recall's reach.

The tomatoes served there come from owner Tony Elgin's garden at home.

"We've been lucky," Elgin said Monday.

Over on Spring Hill Drive, the bottom line at Marco's Pizza is more affected by the skyrocketing price of cheese and flour than tomatoes.

Owner Bruce Raber said the price of a bag of flour has quadrupled to $40, so tomatoes are the least of his concern at this point.

"I can deal with a $20 case of bad tomatoes," he said.

Officials have assured the public that processed tomato products - tomato sauce for instance - are safe to eat.

Anyone with trouble sorting out which tomato varieties are safe can bring their produce to Publix for a full refund, said spokeswoman Shannon Patten.

Salmonella can be fatal and its symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain and sometimes dehydration.

For more information on the tomato recall and help identifying the potentially dangerous varieties, visit the FDA's Web site at: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html.