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June 11th, 2008
By ALLISON WOOD - Staff Writer
MEDINA — Anyone who wants a BLT will only be able to get a sandwich with bacon and lettuce after many area restaurants and grocery stores pulled several varieties of tomatoes off their menus and shelves.
On Saturday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advised consumers to avoid certain types of raw tomatoes after these varieties were found to be responsible for a salmonella outbreak that has spread to 17 states.
The varieties include red plum, red Roma and round red tomatoes grown in certain states, which do not include Ohio or Florida, the FDA said.
Locally, Buehler's, Giant Eagle, Rego's and Hawkins Market have removed many tomatoes.
Buehler's purchases its tomatoes from several locations, but not from any of the states affected by the outbreak, said Mary McMillen, director of consumer affairs. However, she said the company decided Monday to remove several varieties of tomatoes at all stores in order to be safe.
"Even though we are not affected, we choose to err on the high side," McMillen said, adding Buehler's main supplier did not send the stores their usual Sunday evening shipment.
Grape, cherry and vine tomatoes, which the company purchases from Canadian greenhouses, were determined not to be affected by the outbreak and are still on the store's shelves.
McMillen said the FDA advisory will affect tomato prices in the coming months since tomatoes grown in Florida, which are supposed to be picked this week, now have no market.
"They are going to rot on the vine," she said.
At Rego's in Brunswick Hills Township, all the tomatoes on the affected list were removed from their six area locations on Sunday, co-owner Tammy Rego said.
Customers will not be able to have tomatoes on BLTs or any other sandwiches at Jimmy John's in Medina after owner Kathy Sammon decided to stop offering them Monday.
"We just want to keep our customers safe," she said.
At Hawkins, none of the affected tomato varieties delivered on Sunday made in onto the sales floor, manager Joyce Porter said.
"There's always a recall on something it seems," she said. "They just seem to be more frequent than they ever used to be."
National chains, including McDonald's, Wendy's, Wal-Mart, Burger King and Taco Bell, were among the companies that voluntarily withdrew the affected tomato varieties.
While many chain restaurants and larger grocery stores have temporarily removed tomatoes, they can still be found at some locally run establishments.
Romeo's Pizza, which is headquartered in Medina Township, will continue using tomatoes in their pizzas, salads and subs.
"We considered pulling tomatoes yesterday," company President Sean Brauser said Tuesday, but did not after learning the restaurants' tomatoes, which come from Ohio and Florida, were not part of the FDA advisory.
No tomatoes were taken off the shelves at Miller Bros. in Lodi, owner Ken Long said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that since mid-April, 167 people infected with salmonella with the same "genetic fingerprint" have been identified. At least 23 people have been hospitalized.
Salmonella usually is transmitted to humans by eating foods contaminated with animal feces. Most people infected with the bacteria suffer fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps starting 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness tends to last four to seven days.
FDA fact sheet: www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/tomatqa.html#cook
Source: http://wp2.medina-gazette.com/2008/06/11/news/sandwiches-feel-lonely-tomatoes-shelved-over-salmonella-threat/
