McDonalds restaurants in Canada - "temporarily removed tomatoes"

This story from CTV in Canada. No word yet of similar action in the U.S.

I would have to think that one of the complexities of a traceback investigation for the FDA is the tomato repacking process. I recall a country of origin seminar at the latest United Fresh Produce show when a repacker wondered how he would label repacked tomatoes from U.S. and Mexican orgin in the same carton. Evidently, at least for him, co-mingling tomatoes of different origins was a common practice.If that kind of repacking occured with salmonella tainted tomatoes that have sickened dozens of people in multiple states, you can imagine the difficulty of isolating the bad from the good.....

From CTV:

McDonald's fast-food outlets in Canada have temporarily removed tomatoes from their menu options, after a U.S Food and Drug Administration advisory warned of a salmonella outbreak.

Signs posted outside franchises across the country informed customers of the missing ingredient.

In a statement to CTV.ca, McDonald's said they haven't experienced any related negative issues to date, but consider this a "precautionary measure."

The FDA alerted American consumers and restaurateurs of a nationwide outbreak of an uncommon type of Salmonella -- serotype Saintpaul -- linked to certain types of raw red tomatoes on Saturday, advising that tomatoe consumption should be limited.

Since mid-April, there have been 145 reported cases of salmonellosis in the States caused by this particular stain. At least 23 related hospitalizations have been reported.

There have been no deaths linked to the outbreak.

The specific type or origin of tomatoes tainted with the dangerous bacteria are still under investigation, but could include red plum, red roma, or round red tomatoes.

Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections, particularly in young children, sick and elderly people.

Common symptoms include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.

McDonald's pledges to monitor the situation carefully.