This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Salmonella Outbreak
Supermarkets, restaurants, and fast-food chains across the Southland are removing three types of tomatoes from their shelves today, in response to a nationwide salmonella outbreak. Almost 145 infections have been reported since mid-April; the FDA is urging consumers to avoid raw red plum, red Roma or round red tomatoes. Cherry, grape, and tomatoes on the vine are still okay to eat. From today's LA Times:
The physician who heads the FDA, Andrew C. von Eschenbach, was scheduled to be at an FDA lab in Irvine today, where he was to make a public statement updating news on the ongoing outbreak of salmonella saintpaul, a rare strain of the salmonella microbe, the agency said Sunday. The agency said last week that it had ruled out tomatoes from many areas, including California, as the source of the salmonella but was still investigating the source of the outbreak.