You won’t be able to get tomatoes at many restaurants until the salmonella outbreak is under control. The recent news about salmonella prompted several chains – including McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, and Chipotle to stop serving them temporarily as a precaution. Grocery stores are also being cautious and have pulled tomatoes off the shelves.

Yesterday, I told you how the Food and Drug Administration expanded its warning nationwide, telling us not to eat any uncooked Roma, plum, or red round tomatoes or any products made with them unless they are on this “safe” list. Personally, I think it’s easier just to avoid any of the tomatoes mentioned above until this is over and just stick to the ones not affected at all: cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, or homegrown tomatoes are okay to eat.

Since mid April, a salmonella outbreak has made 145 people sick across the country, including 23 who had to be hospitalized. The FDA is still trying to find where it all started.

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Don’t eat any raw Roma, plum, or red round tomatoes or any products made with them unless they are on this list – they could be contaminated with a rare type of salmonella (Salmonella Saintpaul), warns the Food and Drug Administration. Until now, the warning was limited to just a few states.

The FDA says it’s okay to eat cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, or tomatoes grown at home.

Since mid April, a salmonella outbreak has made 145 people sick across the country, including 23 who had to be hospitalized. States reporting illnesses linked to the outbreak include: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections, especially in young children, frail or elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems. In healthy people, symptoms include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. If you have recently eaten raw tomatoes or foods made with them and have any of these symptoms, call your doctor right away.

The FDA is still investigating how this outbreak started.

Photo credit: OSP

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