Another Salmonella Outbreak Tied to Tomatoes in Restaurants – Story by Andrew Bridges of the Associated Press – See Full Story  See my Press Statement at Salmonella Blog.

At least 183 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been sickened. There were no reports of deaths, although 22 people were hospitalized.

I posted a few days ago about earlier tomato outbreaks – See my Post.  Unfortunately, we have seen this before, just two years ago in 2004 when I represented over 100 people sickened in the Sheetz/Coronet Salmonella outbreak.

Shortly after that outbreak, the FDA sent a harshly-worded letter to the Tomato Industry:

Note To: Firms that Grow, Pack or Ship Fresh Lettuce and Fresh Tomatoes:

This letter is intended to make you aware of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) concern regarding continuing outbreaks of foodborne illness associated with the consumption of fresh lettuce and fresh tomatoes, and actions we recommend that your industries take to enhance the safety of these products.

In the present outbreak, contaminated fresh tomatoes served in restaurants is the cause of the recent salmonella outbreak that sickened dozens of people in 21 states, health officials said Friday.  The states involved in the latest outbreak are: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. There also were two cases reported in Canada.