I just got wind of another outbreak of Salmonella-tainted Tomatoes – Salmonella Newport this time – tied to restaurant consumed tomatoes.  It seems that 98 people in 19 states became ill between June and October.  Apparently, the FDA announced it to a select group, but not the public – go figure.

See my prior posts on prior tomato outbreaks.

UPDATE – 11-21-06

“Yes it is true. A second foodborne illness outbreak was caused by Salmonella Newport. The outbreak was linked to tomatoes used solely in the foodservice (restaurant, hotel, etc.) industry. The outbreak, was determined to have sickened 98 known people in 19 states. The outbreak is over. No new cases have been identified for several weeks. Most of the cases occurred back in August and September. The Salmonella strain implicated in this tomato outbreak is identical to the one implicated in outbreaks linked to tomatoes from the Eastern Shore of Virginia in 2002 and 2005. FDA has begun an investigation to determine where the implicated product came from.”

Jim Prevor
http://www.PerishablePundit.com