Speaking Tuesday on behalf of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Julie Zawisza, an agency spokesperson, said the agency is getting closer to locating the source, or sources, of the Salmonella contamination in fresh tomatoes that has spread across the nation since mid-April.  Data from the US Centers for Disease control and Prevention (CDC) identify 167 people stricken by Salmonella poisoning in 17 states.  Many grocery stores, restaurants, and other food establishments have taken many fresh tomatoes off shelves and menus until further notice from federal authorities.

All the big, round, red types of tomato, including the plum and Roma varieties, should be avoided at this time.  Small, cherry and grape varieties of tomatoes are considered safe options, as are the tomatoes sold with vine or stem attached and any that are home grown.

What seems to be a rash of food poisoning incidents in recent years, many of which led to recalls, is considered by many health experts as a harbinger of things to come.    Since 1990, Salmonella outbreaks in 13 separate incidents have been traced to contaminated tomatoes.  Other recent recalls targeted tainted cantaloupe, spinach, and peanut butter.

Dr. Patricia Griffin, chief of the CDC’s division of enteric disease epidemiology, says the recent history of outbreaks may be attributed to more relaxed standards of safety within the agricultural and food industries but may also be influenced by the better systems of surveillance in place today.  Griffin says outbreaks often happen nationwide because of the vast supply of produce that is shipped across state lines and national borders.

In spite of the increase in the number of outbreaks experienced across the nation recently, there has been some resistance in financing a food protection plan as developed by the FDA.  The agency presented the plan in November 2007 but it wasn’t until June 10, 2008, in the midst of this current tomato outbreak/recall, that the Bush administration asked for the money to fund the plan.

As a result of the president’s request for funding of the plan, the Health and Human Services department will budget $275 million for next year’s operation, $125 million of which is allocated for food protection.

Congressmen on both sides of the aisle have voiced adamant complaints about current procedures and standards for safe food handling that are said to border the negligent.  Food-safety advocates and others in the industry would like to see more stringent standards, and the money to enforce them, come much sooner than next year.