Jun 27, 2008 11:00 pm US/Eastern
Feds Widen Salmonella Probe
Not Sure Tomatoes Causing Illness
WESTON (WBZ) ―
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Red plum tomatoes had been thought to be a source of the nationwide salmonella outbreak, but now federal officials aren't so sure.
FDA
There are new concerns about the nationwide salmonella outbreak, and whether tomatoes may really be the source.
Federal health officials are looking into the possibility something else is making people sick, or whether tomatoes are somehow being contaminated at a warehouse.
So far more than 800 people have gotten sick, including more than a dozen in Massachusetts.
Stores are trying to give customers as much information as possible.
"We've been forced to help our customers out by identifying where tomatoes are coming from," said Suren Avedisian of Omni Foods in Weston.
At Omni Foods, tomatoes are coming from places like Canada and Florida, and they are clearly marked. Gone are any tomatoes from Mexico that could be tainted.
"What can I tell a customer if the customer says, 'Can I eat the tomato?'" Avedisian wonders. "As far as I know you can. Nobody knows where the source of the contamination is coming from."
The tomato is still the prime suspect in the salmonella outbreak, but leads are growing cold. So now the government is considering other sources, while consumers consider their options.
"I continually worry about fresh vegetables unless I know source exactly these days," shopper Sherry Emery said.
The problem is that whatever is making people sick is still on the market, long after the outbreak began two months ago. That has the government looking at warehouses, even in states considered safe.
In Cambridge, health officials are on the trail as well. One of Massachusetts' 17 salmonella cases is being investigated there.
"It's up to us to get the history and turn information in to the state," said Louise Rice of the Cambridge Public Health Department.
It'll be another piece of the puzzle in this outbreak that's gone on longer than many grocers can recall.
"I think the (Centers for Disease Control) has to start considering what they want us as a retailer to do, and what they're asking consumers to do," Avedisian said.
What hasn't changed is the advice about what tomatoes to avoid, such as plum and red roma. But as the facts change, federal officials can only say that consumers should stay tuned.
What's really worrisome to health investigators is that the latest victim got sick on June 15.
That's two months after the outbreak began, and after stores and restaurants pulled tomatoes they suspected were the cause.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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