Salmonella and Tomatoes
© Rainan117
So I'm at Houlihans the other night, and I try to order a bruschetta, only to find out items made with fresh tomatoes have been pulled form the menu.
Last year it was the E. coli-spinach issue. Before that we had the mad cow disease problem. Well, today it's tomatoes. And it looks like the FDA is finally going to put things in motion in Washington so that it will have the power to recall contaminated food.
That's right, recalling diseased edibles rests on the good will of grocers and restaurants everywhere.
Oh, and here's a note that gave me the shivers:
As the food industry has rapidly grown in the past 35 years, the study said, the FDA has cut inspections by 78 percent. Now, inspectors visit a given food manufacturing plant once a decade; no inspectors visit farms or retail sales outlets.-chron.com
So if ever there was a time to get healthy and baby your immune system it's now.
And for the current bug, be vigilant about cleaning your fruits and vegetables, use plastic cutting boards, and wash your hands before and after handling food, especially fresh whole fruits and vegetables and raw meat, poultry and fish.
June 18th, 2008 at 11:13 am
It’s also very important to inspect tomatoes for punctures and any damage that has broken the skin before buying them.