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FDA 'Inaction' Blamed for Salmonella Outbreak

Critics say feds have been negligent in policing the food supply

June 10, 2008

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The Food and Drug Administration deserves any rotten tomatoes thrown its way in the wake of the latest food safety scare, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).

Nearly 150 consumers have been sickened and at least 23 people have been hospitalized with symptoms of an unusual strain of salmonella apparently being spread through contaminated tomatoes. Restaurants have taken tomatoes off the menu, supermarkets have cleared their shelves and consumers are being urged to dispose of most kinds of tomatoes.

All of this is unnecessary, as CSPI attorney Sarah Klein sees it.

"Since 2006, CSPI has been urging FDA to require all farms that feed the American public to have written food safety plans, but the FDA has not done that," Klein said. "Instead, the agency and the Bush Administration rely on voluntary, and obviously ineffective, industry programs.

The result is yet another produce outbreak sickening consumers and dealing another setback to another important industry, which includes many growers who have implemented food safety measures, Klein said.

"Consumers can't afford to risk their health by eating tainted produce, and they can't afford the blow to their wallets when FDA tells them to throw out what may actually be safe food because the agency can't figure out the precise source of the contamination," she said.

Some published reports say that Florida and the eastern shore of Virginia have been the target of an ongoing FDA "tomato safety initiative."

FDA says the source of the contaminated tomatoes may be limited to a single grower or packer or tomatoes from a specific geographic area. The agency also notes that there are many tomato crops across the country and in foreign countries that are just becoming ready for harvest or will become ready in the coming months.

Klein said trying to track down contamination after the fact isn't getting the job done.

"Without food safety plans, on-farm inspections, and effective traceback systems, all consumers can do is cross their fingers and hope that the food they eat is safe," she said. "Even now, with 145 people in 16 states sick, FDA can't tell consumers whether the contaminated tomatoes were domestically produced or imported. The agency needs to overhaul its food safety system, and it needs to do it now."

Klein said that since 1990, more than 3,000 Americans have gotten sick from tomatoes contaminated in 24 known outbreaks. And she said those numbers don't take into account what must be countless unidentified tomato-related outbreaks.

"How many more consumers have to get sick before FDA gets serious about produce safety?" Klein asked.

The FDA has advised consumers to avoid red plum, red Roma or round red tomatoes unless they were grown in certain states and countries. McDonalds and some of its competitors are taking no chances, suspending use of all sliced tomatoes. McDonalds is still using small grape tomatoes on salads.

Meanwhile, the CDC reports only three people were infected with this particular strain of salmonella in the U.S. all last year. That previous rarity of this strain and the distribution of illnesses in all U.S. regions suggest, the CDC says, that the implicated tomatoes are distributed throughout much of the country. That would suggest that they came from a large grower.

On June 5, FDA published a list of states, territories, and countries where tomatoes are grown and harvested which have not been associated with this outbreak.

This updated list includes: Arkansas, California, Georgia, Hawaii, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Belgium, Canada, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Israel, Netherlands, and Puerto Rico. Tomatoes from any of these areas are thought to be safe.

Because of inherent delays in reporting and because many persons with Salmonella illness do not have a stool specimen tested, it is likely many more illnesses have occurred than those reported, the CDC said. Some of these unreported illnesses may be in states that are not on the current map, meaning the outbreak could be more widespread.

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 Saintpaul is an uncommon type of Salmonella.

Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections particularly in young children, frail or elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems.

Healthy persons often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, the organism can get into the bloodstream and produce more severe illnesses.

Consumers who have recently eaten raw tomatoes or foods containing raw tomatoes and are experiencing any of these symptoms should contact their health care provider. All Salmonella infections should be reported to state or local health authorities.

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