Wednesday, June 11, 2008

The tumult around tomatoes


If you haven't already heard, tomatoes are the latest produce item to cause a nice little food-borne illness scare. Multiple outbreaks of salmonella have been reported in the past few days with tomatoes, specifically roma, plum and round red, being the primary suspect. The outbreak seems to be most prominent in areas of Texas and New Mexico along with 15 other states. Have no fear, your favorite summer fruit (yes, tomatoes are actually a fruit) to throw into salads or pair with basil and fresh mozzarella isn't a total wash. Grape, cherry and vine-ripened tomatoes are perfectly safe to continue eating. And to drive home the benefits of farm-to-plate eating even further, if you're lucky enough to grow your own tomatoes or purchase them from a local farmer/greenmarket, you can really rest-assured that your health's in the clear.

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