The Summer Tomato Crop: A Food Safety Disaster

January 11, 2067

Unless you are one of the few people that doesn't look forward to the summer tomato crop all year, the events over the past week have you as upset as I am.

I love tomatoes. All kinds of tomatoes. I struggle through eating tasteless tomatoes most of the year with the promise that come summer that great flavor will return. But maybe not this year?

Many fast food restaurants have signs posted that their signature burgers, including Whoppers are still available, but without the tomatoes. No tomato on a Whopper? That my friends is sacrilegious.

Federal food safety officials have reported that at least 167 people in 17 states appear to have been affected by salmonella poisoning, that is related to the consumption of raw tomatoes. Over the weekend the agency warned consumers to avoid certain raw red plum, red Roma and red round tomatoes and products containing them. Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes and those sold with the vine still attached are not associated with the outbreak. As of late yesterday, Florida's latest tomato crop has been cleared and reported as safe to eat.

But what is the most upsetting (and we've said it many times before) is that the time that it takes for the government to release food safety information makes the entire process a joke. This investigation started in mid-April. Almost two months ago. Are we really to believe that these contaminated fresh tomatoes are still on supermarket shelves? All that is accomplished by this outdated process is to further denigrate our confidence in our food supply. In 2008 we can find out information about celebrity drug problems or who's having who's baby in nano-seconds – but when it comes to the safety of our foods it takes months ... usually well after the foods have been consumed.

This is unacceptable.
And by the way, just for the record. I am eating fresh tomatoes – and they taste delicious.
For more information on this recall visit the Centers for Disease Control's webpage.