Personal Injury Law

Food Poisoning and Food Contamination-Tomatoes

Federal health officials are trying to prevent injury from food poisoning and food contamination by finding the source of salmonella-tainted tomatoes. While they continue to search, the federal workers believe that they are getting very close to identifying the outbreak's source.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, the outbreak, which has sickened 167 people in 17 states since April, is not over even though it has been two weeks since the last confirmed case of a person falling ill. That?s because state and local health departments still are investigating possibly more recent infections.

As Orlando injury lawyers, we know it is often difficult for the FDA to protect consumers from contaminated foods and outbreaks. Despite the FDA?s warning system. people with food poisoning don't always go to the doctor, or have a stool sample analyzed. Indeed, when they do, getting laboratory test results can take two to three weeks. Then health officials must spot a pattern of illness.

The FDA has warned consumers against eating certain raw tomatoes: red plum, red Roma or round. Grape and cherry tomatoes or tomatoes still attached to the vine aren't linked to the illnesses. Also ruled safe are tomatoes from more than 30 states or countries, including part but not all of major producer Florida, where some counties have been cleared but not others. The FDA can rule out as suspects farms and distributors that weren't harvesting or selling when the outbreak began.

Full post as published by Orlando Injury Lawyer Blog on June 09, 2008 (boomark / email).