All Georgia-grown tomatoes are safe to eat, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported, and no illnesses have been reported in Georgia.
McDowell’s tomatoes are grown in Southwest Georgia, he said.
“They are from like a county or two away. They pick them right off the vine and bring them in here,” said McDowell, who owns Tommy Mc’s Produce in Lancaster Village. “I ate tomatoes yesterday and I’m eating them tonight for supper.”
On June 3, the FDA alerted consumers in Texas and New Mexico against eating raw red tomatoes and products containing raw red tomatoes following their implication in Salmonella poisoning. The tomatoes are linked to an uncommon strain of Salmonella called Saintpaul.
On Saturday, the FDA expanded its alert to the rest of the nation, but listed “safe” tomatoes sources that include most of the Southeast, California, Puerto Rico and Canada.
Mexico, a major supplier of produce to America, has not been cleared.
The FDA’s recommendation pertains to raw red plum, Roma and red-round tomatoes and products containing these grown in places that haven’t been cleared. The recommendation does not include cherry, grape and tomatoes on-the-vine from any source.
As a precaution, major supermarket chains and restaurants are clearing their facilities of some tomatoes.
Winn-Dixie Stores pulled certain tomatoes off the shelves, as has Publix Supermarkets. McDonald’s is one of the restaurants that has stopped serving sliced tomatoes.
James Wells, produce manager at Publix in Albany, said the Dawson Road store double-bagged and threw away some of its tomato stock Saturday.
“We get a truck every day, so we had to pull that,” he said. The store won’t reorder the ill-advised tomatoes until further notice from the FDA.
According to the FDA, there have been 145 cases of Salmonella Saintpaul and 23 hospitalizations nationally since mid-April.
Tomato sources not associated with a Salmonella outbreak:
• Arkansas
• California
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Belgium
• Canada
• Dominican Republic
• Guatemala
• Israel
• Netherlands
• Puerto Rico
Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration