FDA clears shipments from many Fla. counties

Here is the link to the FDA update page and the June 10 update. Florida shipments now "acceptable" from selected counties....

June 10, 2008: The Food and Drug Administration has expanded its warning to consumers nationwide that a salmonellosis outbreak has been linked to consumption of certain raw, red tomatoes.
At this time, FDA is advising consumers to limit their consumption of tomatoes to the following types of tomatoes. The following types of tomatoes listed below are NOT likely to be the source of this outbreak.

cherry tomatoes
grape tomatoes
tomatoes sold with the vine still attached
tomatoes grown at home

FDA recommends consuming raw red plum, raw red Roma, or raw round red tomatoes grown and harvested only from the following areas that HAVE NOT BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE OUTBREAK:
Alabama
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Delaware
Florida (counties of: Jackson, Gadsden, Leon, Jefferson, Madison, Suwannee, Hamilton, Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee, Hardee, DeSoto, Sarasota, Highlands, Pasco, Sumter, Citrus, Hernando, Charlotte)*
Georgia
Hawaii
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Minnesota
Mississippi
New Jersey
New York
Nebraska
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Belgium
Canada
Dominican Republic
Guatemala
Israel
Netherlands
Puerto Rico

* Shipments of tomatoes harvested in this counties are acceptable with a certificate issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Consumers who are unsure of where the tomatoes are from that they have in their home are encouraged to contact the store or place of purchase for that information.
Consumers should also be aware that raw tomatoes are often used in the preparation of fresh salsa, guacamole, and pico de gallo, are part of fillings for tortillas, and are used in other dishes.
Restaurants, grocery stores, and food service operators have been advised by the FDA not to offer for sale or service raw red plum, Roma, or red tomatoes and products made from these types of tomatoes unless they are from one of the areas listed above.
Since mid April, there have been 167 reported cases of salmonellosis nationwide caused by Salmonella Saintpaul, an uncommon form of Salmonella. At least 23 hospitalizations have been reported.

Bronson announces FDA clears Florida tomatoes

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson is no shrinking violet, and he has really taken the bull by the horns by issuing a press release that the FDA has cleared Florida tomatoes as "safe to eat" before the FDA and CDC have announced the fact themselves. See The Packer story here and the Florida Department of Agriculture release here. Some Web stories have Bronson saying that the USDA has deemed Florida tomatoes are safe, but there would be little consolation in that proclamation, since the USDA has no authority in regard to produce safety.

However, the truth is that Bronson is speaking of the FDA. From the Florida Dept. of Ag news release:

Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson has announced that tomatoes currently being harvested in Florida have been deemed safe by the Food and Drug Administration and has been added to the agency’s list of states with “safe to eat” tomatoes. FDA’s website is updated in the evening and will reflect the change.
“Florida tomato growers have one of the most stringent tomato production programs in the nation. They initiated the heightened safety standards several years ago to ensure public confidence in their product.”
After reviewing Florida’s safety initiative, the timing of the illness outbreak and the timing of tomato harvesting, FDA added Florida’s current production areas to the “safe to eat” list. Growers will provide a certificate with each shipment verifying the tomatoes are from Florida. Bronson points out that the tomatoes that are now being harvested and shipped from Florida did not even exist when the salmonella outbreak occurred. He says Florida growers sell an abundance of their product in Florida and there have been no reported illness in the state. Florida growers also sell predominantly to eastern states and the bulk of illnesses have occurred in western states.
“It is critical that consumers know that our tomatoes are safe and delicious,” Bronson said. “Our growers have worked hard to ensure the utmost safety of their product.”
Currently, tomato harvesting is underway in three areas of the state, Quincy near Tallahassee and Ruskin and Palmetto near the Tampa area. Growers have already had truckloads of tomatoes turned away by retailers concerned about the salmonella outbreak that has impacted mostly western states. Retailers are being notified of Florida’s addition to the “safe to eat” list and its hoped Florida tomatoes will be back on store shelves immediately and enjoyed by all.

TK: We will await the FDA's announcement about Florida tomatoes tomorrow - are Florida farms also cleared of suspicion related to the salmonella outbreak? - but no more anxiously than Charles Bronson, I'm sure.

DeLauro on the FDA's budget request

The FDA's revised budget request of yesterday for an additional $275 million for fiscal year 2009 is drawing both praise and some "I told you so's." From the office of Rep. Rosa DeLauro:

Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3) issued the following statement on the Bush Administration’s request for an additional $275 million for the Food and Drug Administration for fiscal year 2009.

“In submitting a revised budget plan for fiscal year 2009 that includes an additional $275 million for the FDA, the Administration is finally listening to the many voices that have been clamoring for these additional funds over the past several years. However, by using vague offsets from other important accounts, such as the Social Services Block Grant program, to pay for the FDA funds, it is very difficult to view the overall budget plan from the Administration as credible.

“The current Salmonella outbreak involving tomatoes is a prime example of the battles facing the FDA and how necessary the additional funds will be to allow the FDA to combat future outbreaks.

“The additional $275 million would represent a down-payment for the future of the FDA. These funds are critical to establishing a good foundation that will allow the agency to protect our food supply, and ensure the safety and efficacy of our prescription drugs and medical devices. It will move us one step closer to our goal of restoring the FDA to the gold standard for which it was once known.

“Despite the budget games being played by the Administration, I commend Commissioner von Eschenbach for their efforts in urging the Administration to act. I look forward to working with him, as well as a variety of experts and former FDA staff to identify the specific initiatives and activities where these needed resources can be best applied. I am concerned that FDA’s new plan for allocating the $275 million contains some changes from the original proposal the agency submitted to the Senate so I intend to study these changes closely. We need to develop a credible plan to ensure that the funds are spent wisely and managed appropriately.”

LA market report

Grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and cluster tomatoes are showing price strength on the Los Angeles wholesale market today, but roma and round tomatoes are sitting around and starting to color up, one market source told me today. Not many roma or round tomatoes are moving out and some that have gone out are coming back, he said. Prices are holding but represent few sales for romas and round tomatoes.

Grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and cluster tomatoes - roughly accounting for 15% of overall tomato volume - appear to be strengthening in price as those types have been "cleared" by the FDA.

PMA Briefing - Bob Whitaker

From the PMA Web site, passed along by Julia Stewart. Audio also available from the PMA Web site.



Transcript of the Daily Briefing - Monday June 9, 2008

Hello, this is PMA Public Relations Director Julia Stewart. The association is pleased to introduce a new series of briefings on food safety featuring PMA Chief Science Officer Dr. Robert Whitaker -- welcome to our first installment.

Bob, many of our members are following the salmonella saintpaul illness outbreak that has been linked to certain types of tomatoes. One member has asked us …

What role can microbial testing play, and can it ensure our products are safer?

The simple answer to this question is that you can never test your way into food safety Testing is merely a tool, and an imperfect one at that. The best way to make sure your products are as safe as they can be is to have a documented food safety program in place to govern your operations – one that is driven by a comprehensive risk assessment that looks at all the potential contaminations that could take place. The absolute best way to avoid an illness associated with your products is to prevent the contamination from ever occurring.

Some in our industry mistakenly think a food safety program is the documentation you use to pass food safety audits. In fact, a food safety program is a risk assessment/risk management program -- and the documentation is simply the verification that you are indeed managing the risks to the best of your ability. Then once you have a sound, risk-based food safety program in place, microbial testing may be used to help validate certain aspects of that program.

Water testing is one of these areas where microbial testing can be used as a validation tool. Incoming water should be tested on at least a monthly basis. But even before testing, first consider what risks does your water source pose? Obviously a municipal water source or a deep well poses much lower risks than an open water source like a canal, reservoir or river. In any event, you would want to put management procedures in place to manage the risk of contamination. Once that is done, microbial testing is a way to monitor the effectiveness of the risk management procedures. Often, testing for specific pathogens is not necessary, but perhaps a simple test for generic E. coli as an indicator for fecal contamination would suffice, and would be more cost effective. In the end, there is no perfect organism to test for and the operator or food safety professional will have to make their own decision on whether to test for specific pathogens or not. For example, if your risk assessment indicates that there is a potential for Salmonella or E. coli O157:H7 contamination because the water source is in proximity to a potential contamination source – for example, dairy, poultry, bird nesting areas, et cetera -- then pathogen testing would be advisable.

Microbial testing can also be an excellent way to test for the efficacy of equipment and facility sanitation methods. Often a quick swab test for total plate count is sufficient for this purpose. There are also several “do it yourself”, ATP-based test kits available that have the advantage of lower cost and time savings that would fit this bill.

And finally, product testing has become a hot topic in our industry. It certainly seems like a logical thing to do until you look at it further. I’ll cover that question tomorrow. See you then!

An essential question

A comment that an anonymous reader attached to a previous post seems to be one of the essential questions about this outbreak.

Can someone tell me, was this a widespread problem because of one farm's tomatoes being distributed in multiple places, or are different unrelated farms popping up with cases of salmonella all over the country?


TK: One might assume - or hope - that the "problem" started with one farm, being spread by distribution of those tomatoes throughout the country. But nothing quite so definite from the FDA yet. Here is a link to technical data about salmonella Saintpaul.

A visit to Wendy's over lunch revealed - by way of multiple 8 by 11" posters on the doors and at the order counter - the message that the tomatoes were being temporarily being removed from the chain's menu. I asked the worker who took the order for the Snak attack meal deal how long this tomato ban might last. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "A couple of weeks?" His guess is as good as any at this point.

CDC update: June 9 :Tomatoes and salmonella

Here is the update from the CDC from June 9:

CDC is collaborating with public health officials in many states, the Indian Health Service, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate an ongoing multi-state outbreak of human Salmonella serotype Saintpaul infections. An epidemiologic investigation conducted by the New Mexico and Texas Departments of Health and the Indian Health Service using interviews comparing foods eaten by ill and well persons has identified consumption of raw tomatoes as the likely source of the illnesses in those states. The specific type and source of tomatoes is under investigation; however, the data suggest that large tomatoes, including Roma and round red, are the source.

Since mid-April, 167 persons infected with Salmonella Saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprint have been identified in 17 states: Arizona (12 persons), California (2), Colorado (1), Connecticut (1), Idaho (2), Illinois (27), Indiana (7), Kansas (5), Michigan (2), New Mexico (39), Oklahoma (3), Oregon (3), Texas (56), Utah (1), Virginia (2), Washington (1), and Wisconsin (3). These were identified because clinical laboratories in all states send Salmonella strains from ill persons to their State public health laboratory for characterization. Among the 73 persons who have been interviewed, illnesses began between April 16 and May 27, 2008. Patients range in age from 1 to 82 years; 49% are female. At least 23 persons were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Only 3 persons infected with this strain of Salmonella Saintpaul were identified in the country during the same period in 2007. The previous rarity of this strain and the distribution of illnesses in all U.S. regions suggest that the implicated tomatoes are distributed throughout much of the country. Because of inherent delays in reporting and because many persons with Salmonella illness do not have a stool specimen tested, it is likely many more illnesses have occurred than those reported. Some of these unreported illnesses may be in states that are not on today’s map.

Advice to consumers

At this time, FDA is advising U.S. consumers to limit their tomato consumption to those that are not the likely source of this outbreak. These include cherry tomatoes; grape tomatoes; tomatoes sold with the vine still attached; tomatoes grown at home; and raw red Roma, red plum, and round red tomatoes from specific sources listed at: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html*. Consumers should be aware that raw tomatoes are often used in the preparation of fresh salsa, guacamole, and pico de gallo, are part of fillings for tortillas, and are used in many other dishes.

Customers everywhere are advised to:

• Refrigerate within 2 hours or discard cut, peeled, or cooked tomatoes.
• Avoid purchasing bruised or damaged tomatoes and discard any that appear spoiled.
• Thoroughly wash all tomatoes under running water.
• Keep tomatoes that will be consumed raw separate from raw meats, raw seafood, and raw produce items.
• Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and counter tops with hot water and soap when switching between types of food products.

FDA recommends that U.S. retail outlets, restaurants, and food service operators offer only fresh and fresh cut red Roma, red plum, and round red tomatoes and food products made from these tomatoes from specific sources listed at: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html#retailers*. Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and tomatoes sold with the vine still attached from any source may be offered.

FDA information on this investigation can be found at: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html*

Poll closed: Split decision

The Fresh Talk poll over the past week offered this question:

Are federal agencies and the industry better prepared to deal with a foodborne illness outbreak linked to produce than was the case two years ago?

No: 12
Yes: 11

TK: After an early lead by the yes vote, the responses later in the week were dominated by the "no" vote. While so much work has been done by so many since the spinach outbreak of two years ago, it is easy to see the industry is dispirited by the tomato/salmonella outbreak. We we are still in the midst of the crisis and lacking answers, and it is too soon to assign blame to the either the FDA or industry players. Clearly, there is more work to do to prevent contamination on the farm and throughout the supply chain, to identify the source of pathogens and minimize the impact of food borne illness on consumers and commerce.

Chat - David Mitchell

David Mitchell is the lead reporter on the tomato/salmonella issue for The Packer. I had a brief keyboard "chat" with him this morning:

Sent at 9:30 AM on Tuesday

Tom: David, what can you tell us about the experience of covering this issue for a couple of weeks now? Has the mood of the industry shifted as the crisis has deepened?

Sent at 9:35 AM on Tuesday

david.edward.mitchell: I talked to two shippers in San Diego yesterday, and while they're worried about what is going to happen with romas from Mexico, markets are strong for cherry and grape tomatoes, which have been deemed safe by the FDA. A Florida-based shipper told me that customers are ready to take product from FDA-approved areas, but supplies are light in some of those states, like S.C., that are just getting started.

Tom: Is there any indication how long certain tomato varieties or types might be removed from the menus of foodservice operators?

Sent at 9:40 AM on Tuesday

david.edward.mitchell: No one has said that to me on the record. It seems like some of these places are overreacting. I saw one restaurant chain in Alaska pulled tomatoes.

Tom: And we are still waiting for FDA to announce the definitive results of their traceback - have they said why it is taking as long as it is? Do you think the tomato repacking process - and possible co-mingling of product from different orgins - may be one factor?

Sent at 9:44 AM on Tuesday

david.edward.mitchell: I've heard that theory about repacking, but I don't know. Part of the problem is that it can take up to three days for people to have symptoms, and then it takes time for public health officials to see a pattern. This started in mid-April, but we didn't even know there was a problem until late May. Public health officials obviously want to get it right before they point a finger at a specific grower-shipper or even a specific area. It looks like Florida and Mexico are the two biggest players who would have been shipping at the time of the outbreak that haven't been cleared. Think about how many growers, packers and handlers there are in that state and that country, not to mention importers of Mexican product in Texas and Arizona. There are a lot of people to talk to, and unfortunately a lot of those people had nothing to do with it but will end up being affected.

Tom: David - thanks for your time and we look forward to your continued coverage of the issue for The Packer.

david.edward.mitchell: OK, thanks.

PMA: Ask Dr. Bob Whitaker

Julia Stewart of PMA passes on this link to PMA's "Ask Dr. Bob Whitaker" Web page. Whitaker is the chief scientific officer for the Produce Marketing Association. Here are a few of the questions and responses from the Web page, published yesterday:




How does a public health traceback work?
As a foodborne illness investigation moves forward, epidemiology and testing identify the causative microorganism and vehicle or food item that carry it. Then the activity shifts to a trackback investigation that is generally conducted by FDA in conjunction with various states and/or counties. One of the key questions the epidemiologists ask patients is where they contacted the food product – restaurant, retail store, family picnic, school, church social, friend’s house, etc. If they believe the patient is a credible source, they then visit the point of service, that is, the location where food was purchased (generally a restaurant or retail store).
From these visits, FDA and state investigators begin tracing the original source of the product. Stores and restaurants often have multiple sources of any one item, such as tomatoes, so the investigators need to determine what suppliers potentially provided the item under examination. They also need to assess the time periods and quantities of product involved, along with the various types or varieties of the product (e.g. for tomatoes, round red, cherry, Roma, grape, on-the-vine, etc.).
The efficiency of this process is largely based on access to purchase and receipt records, and their completeness. As the investigators visit multiple sites identified by credible patients, they can begin again to look for common threads, i.e. suppliers that are common to the sites. At this point the investigators contact the common suppliers and begin tracing the product back to the production site. They generally visit the distribution, production or supply facilities to interview the operators and view records.
The produce industry is a complex industry with many links in the distribution chain, so trackback can be challenging. Again, the efficiency of the traceback is dependent upon cooperation by those involved and availability of all records associated with the suspect product. From the data collected in this process, the investigators hope to identify a specific site or collection of ranches/farms where the initial contamination may have occurred. Of course, this is a vital outcome for the investigation and has very real meaning for our industry. It is at this point that the regulatory agencies can definitively say they can limit their alert or recall to product from a specific supplier, processor or ranch. This often allows the rest of the industry to supply and sell products without safety concerns.
Once the FDA and state investigators identify a supplier and/or sites, they begin the task of searching for a cause of the contamination. They often inspect the site and facilities and evaluate production records to verify that a food safety program was in place and was being followed as required by the plan. They may also choose to sample raw or finished products (especially if the same lots are still available), and may wish to take environmental samples from fields, equipment, agricultural inputs and water for microbial testing. They may interview employees and take personal health histories to see whether anyone who may have contacted the product had a similar infection. Their goal is to try to find the cause for contamination so it can be mitigated and the industry can learn from it.
Learning the process health authorities follow illustrates why it isn’t just a matter of going to a store or restaurant where a patient says he or she ate, and finding the supplier. The regulatory agencies’ goal is to protect public health. Therefore, they must follow the process to gather information systematically so they do not reach false conclusions, which could cause more injury to the public and ultimately to the industry.

Since the illness onset dates in this situation are so broad, what is the likelihood of finding the source?
Tomatoes can be a multi-harvest crop, i.e. tomatoes are harvested off the same vine or plant over a period of several weeks. Tomatoes also can remain in commerce for several weeks, as they can be distributed directly or sent to repackers who in turn hold them and ripen them as the market demands. So, it is not too surprising that the onset dates are broadly separated. As to the likelihood of finding the source, tomatoes represent a difficult challenge for investigators because of the many types of finished products and the diverse production locations. This is further complicated by the fact that the onset period straddled a seasonal transition point for Mexico, California and Florida. Given these issues, I think that as of the date of this writing (June 9) it is still likely that FDA will find a source, whether it is a specific grower, farm, packing shed, distribution center, etc., to which the records of commerce trace. What is more problematic is actually finding the S. saintpaul strain at the site. That has often proven hard to accomplish with any foodborne pathogen, as the bacteria that cause these outbreaks are present only in very low numbers and may not survive in soils or equipment surfaces or other touch points very long, especially if the soils are turned or routine clean-up procedures diminish their populations.


What’s the risk that FDA will implicate a region, rather than a farm? What are we doing to keep them disciplined?
The logical sequence of the investigation and traceback (see related question) is that FDA will identify a region first as they look at suppliers to points of service. Once investigators identify regions, they will begin to use the records and shipping documents to narrow the investigation to specific growers or packers. Once the FDA has a region, the additional traceback efforts to find a specific grower and farm take a few days depending on the quality of the shipping records. By its very nature, FDA is a very disciplined organization. Agents make decisions based on data and records. This can be frustrating for the industry in terms of the time it takes to perform a traceback, and FDA’s unwillingness to jump steps to identify a supplier. By the same token, this approach and adherence to process keeps the traceback focused and decisions fact-based.


What about Florida tomatoes, are they OK?
As of June 8, FDA has excluded Arkansas, California, Georgia, Hawaii, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Belgium, Canada, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Israel, the Netherlands and Puerto Rico. FDA understands the urgency the industry feels toward narrowing the sources down as quickly as possible so as not to penalize an entire industry and have excluded those regions. Other regions or states had not been excluded as of June 8. (Note: To view a current list of excluded production areas, visit www.pma.com/issues/tomatoesjun08.cfm.)


What about hot house, organic or hydroponic tomatoes?
Many types of tomatoes are sold across the country. Based upon interviews with people who became ill, as of June 8, the FDA and CDC pinpointed round red and plum/Roma tomatoes as linked to the illnesses in specific states. And, based on those interviews, FDA has excluded yellow tomatoes, cherry and grape tomatoes, tomatoes still on the vine and home-grown tomatoes. There is no distinction as to how the tomatoes were grown, e.g. field production, hot house, hydroponic, organic. Therefore, as of June 8, if the product is a round red, plum/Roma tomato, regardless of how it was produced, the alert applies to that product and to items made from that product unless they were grown in the excluded areas. (Note: To view a current list of excluded production areas, visit www.pma.com/issues/tomatoesjun08.cfm.)


Why did FDA go direct to consumers with a de facto recall?
The function of FDA is to protect public health. FDA’s consumer alerts have been driven by the epidemiology and the Salmonella fingerprint testing results identifying the genetic identity of S. saintpaul in people who became sick. Until CDC and FDA are sure the onset period is over, in other words that no one else could get sick, FDA has the obligation to alert consumers against the food item that might cause them to become ill. As of June 8, there had been no specific food recall, strictly speaking, as the source of the tomatoes in question was still unknown. Based on the alerts, retailers and foodservice operators and restaurants have made business decisions whether to provide red round, plum, or Roma tomatoes to consumers. Some have made the decision to remove these types of tomatoes from the market, as it would be unlikely that consumers would want them because FDA has advised them not to eat them.

I am using Romas to make fresh salsa for sale. How do we reassure our clients?
The best advice is to check the CDC and/or FDA Web sites daily to determine (note: the FDA and CDC sites can be accessed via www.pma.com/issues/tomatoesjun08.cfm) : (1) what production areas have been excluded; and (2) whether any S. saintpaul illnesses have been identified in your state and confirmed to have been caused by certain tomatoes.

Can we test products in warehouses now, and release the product if it tests negative?
While this sounds like a great idea, unfortunately this would not be advisable. The problem lies in the sampling. The general feeling in the scientific community is that these contaminations that lead to foodborne illness outbreaks are at low levels and not widely spread. This seems very logical and makes sense when you consider that if the contaminations were large and spread over the majority of the tomato fruit from a given field or farm, then many more than 100 people would be sick to date.
So, that puts us in a position of trying to understand how many tomatoes we would have to sample and test to be sure that we could find every tomato fruit that was contaminated, so we could keep them from going to consumers. Remember, even one sick consumer is one too many.
We could just test every tomato. It would be expensive, but let’s say we could do that. The problem is that the test essentially destroys the tomato. To perform the test required, the tomato is cut up and then juiced so that the microorganism can be isolated.
If you cannot test every tomato, then you need to rely on statistical sampling to have confidence that you can eliminate any tomato that is contaminated. The problem here is that scientists believe the contamination incidents are so infrequent, random and at low levels that there is not a satisfactory statistical solution to the problem.
Think of a field of tomatoes, and let’s say there are 1,000 plants in the block we want to harvest. Let’s also say that we are going to harvest 20 tomatoes from each plant over the next two weeks. That is 20,000 total tomatoes. Now let’s say that somehow during the harvest period, 200 fruits have become contaminated with a very low level of Salmonella. You have all your tomatoes in boxes; how do you sample to be sure you can eliminate those that are contaminated?
More visually, pretend you have 20,000 white marbles in a huge box and mixed in with them are 200 black ones randomly blended in. Since you cannot see bacteria on tomato fruits, our visual analogy would require us to select our black marbles blindly, so pretend that you are blindfolded and trying to pick out the black marbles from our huge box. How many times would you have to “sample” the box to get all 200 black marbles? It is a daunting question, and one we cannot answer now.

Why is it taking so long to identify the source, is there an issue with a lack of industry capability to trace product?
The industry’s traceback capability is not an issue at this time. FDA and the involved states started their traceback efforts early the week of June 2, and were still working through their process at the time of this writing (June 9). The industry is working to provide FDA with information on tomato product movements and production areas to help them focus efforts in the trace.

Are tomatoes safe if they have been through a chlorine wash?
The use of sanitizers in fruit and vegetable wash systems is often misinterpreted. Many believe the sanitizer, e.g. chlorine, sanitizes the surface of the product being washed. In fact, sanitizers are used in wash systems to keep the wash water clean, not to sanitize the fruit or vegetable. The effectiveness of the sanitizer in keeping the water clean is dependent upon how clean the water is (i.e., the level of organic material, e.g. dirt), its pH, the sanitizer used, its concentration, etc. It is important to keep the water clean because, by the very fact that washing removes surface dirt and some portion of the bacteria and fungi on the surface, the wash system could easily become a reservoir for any dirt or bacteria that are washed off. In effect, the wash system could become a contamination point if it wasn’t treated with a sanitizer to kill microorganisms that wash off in the system.
Unfortunately, not all bacteria are washed off during washing. We know that most wash systems reduce the microbial populations on the surface of fruits and vegetables by about 2 logs. So what does that mean? If the product you are washing comes into the packinghouse with 1,000,000 organisms per square centimeter (not uncommon), then after washing in a well-maintained system it would likely have 10,000 organisms per square centimeter. So if raw product enters a packinghouse with a human pathogen on it, the pathogen most likely will not be reduced sufficiently during the wash to prevent illness.
Remember that surface microorganisms on fruits and vegetables are very common. Some are beneficial to the plant, some are beneficial to those consuming the product and some may be plant pathogens. In some ways these surface microorganisms actually protect the product as they compete with human pathogens like Salmonella and E. coli if they should contact the product and limit their growth or perhaps even eliminate them over time.

Why is FDA focusing on point of consumption? The tomatoes sent from a distribution center (DC) to stores in outbreak states are the same as tomatoes sent from the same DC to stores in other states. How is that protecting public health?
This is really several questions that cover many aspects of tomato distribution and FDA procedures. First, the FDA focuses on point of consumption simply because the agency has to start where the illnesses are actually occurring. It is from the people that are actually ill that health investigators can begin to gather important epidemiological data relating to what the person ate in the days leading up to the onset of illness and if that link can be made, where they might have consumed the contaminated tomatoes. From this point-of-consumption data, the FDA can then move to the point-of-service locations, and then on to determining where the tomatoes originally came from.
Distribution centers (DCs) are set up by retailers to serve defined geographical areas by acting as a storage center that receives products from the production locations and warehouses them until they are needed to replenish the stores in the region served by that DC. Often, retail chains will source products like tomatoes from several vendors. As an example, a retailer may use five or six vendors to supply red round tomatoes at any given time, and tomatoes from all or some of these vendors may be in any given DC. Retailers do this to ensure that their customers always have round red tomatoes available so that if one grower or supplier has a weather-related problem and can’t harvest, the other vendors can cover the volume. Price, logistics, quality, season and potential to supply other items also play into the concept of multiple vendors supplying individual DCs. Therefore, it is quite likely that a DC that sends tomatoes from a supplier who inadvertently supplied contaminated tomatoes can also ship tomatoes to stores from other suppliers whose tomatoes are safe to eat.
As part of the FDA’s traceback process, the investigators would use the shipping records into the DC to determine where and when the tomatoes from each vendor were received in the DC, and the outgoing DC shipping records to determine where and when they were shipped to the retail stores. The investigators then match this information with the epidemiologic data to link illness with stores, the DC and ultimately the source of the tomatoes that were received into the DC. It is an investigative process that takes time, but genuinely serves the public by identifying the source of contaminated product and ensuring it is removed from points of sale or consumption.

I’m a greenhouse grower. Can I set up pathogen testing, for example to test the water and the product for pathogens?
The simple answer to this question is that you can never test your way to food safety. Testing is merely a tool, and an imperfect one at that. Without knowing the grower in question, I would first advise that they have a documented food safety program in place to govern their greenhouse operations. This food safety plan needs to be driven by a risk assessment that outlines every operation at the facility and identifies where potential contaminations could take place, e.g. the water quality used for irrigation, potential for contamination entering the facility via the air from surrounding areas, hygiene practices by workers handling the fruit, sanitation of harvest baskets, purity of the potting soil, etc. The absolute best way to avoid an illness associated with their products is to prevent the contamination from ever occurring.
I suspect this greenhouse grower has a food safety program if they are asking about testing, but strongly encourage them to go back through it and see if it is adequate. Many people in our industry mistakenly think a food safety program is the documentation you use to pass food safety audits. In fact, a food safety program is a risk assessment/risk management program, and the documentation is simply the verification that you are indeed managing the risks to the best of your ability.
Microbial testing can have a beneficial role in validating the effectiveness of risk management procedures. Water testing is one of these areas. The greenhouse operator should test the incoming water for the operation on at least a monthly basis. Before testing, they should confirm their water source; i.e. what is the source (e.g. municipal, well, canal, etc.), and what risks does it pose? Obviously a municipal water source or a deep well poses much lower risks than an open water source like a canal or river. In any event, the operator needs to put management procedures in place to ensure the water does not become contaminated.
Once that is done, microbial testing is a way to monitor the effectiveness of the risk management procedures. Often, testing for specific pathogens is not necessary, but perhaps a simple test for generic E. coli as an indicator for fecal contamination would suffice and be more cost-effective.
In the end, there is no perfect organism to test for, and the greenhouse operator will have to make his or her own decision on whether to test for pathogens directly or not. If the operator feels through a risk assessment that there is a potential for Salmonella or E. coli O157:H7 contamination because the water source is in proximity to a potential source, e.g. dairy, poultry, bird nesting areas, etc., then pathogen testing may be part of managing that risk and would be advisable. Microbial testing can also be an excellent way to test for the efficacy of equipment sanitation methods. Simple swab testing after cleaning and sanitation of equipment, harvest totes or any food contact surfaces is a great way to verify that the cleaning chemicals and methods used for sanitation are adequate. Often a quick test for total plate count (referred to in shorthand as TPC) is sufficient for this purpose. There are also several “do it yourself”, ATP-based (Adenosine triphosphate) test kits available that have the advantage of lower cost and time savings that would fit this bill.
Product testing has become a hot topic in our industry. A greenhouse operator can certainly develop a testing program for finished tomatoes, but it is important to understand what the testing data means and more important to know what it does not mean.
First it is important to find a certified laboratory that uses FDA and/or AOAC-approved methodologies for measuring pathogens. It is important that your grower understands the test procedures, handling practices by the laboratory and how the data will be reported and to whom. Once the testing itself is understood, then you move to the more difficult issue of sampling.
This is where perception needs to come to grips with reality. If this greenhouse operator had a large, wide-spread contamination, e.g. the water used for rinsing the harvest totes was contaminated, a sampling of tomatoes post-harvest may indeed detect the contamination and the tomatoes could be destroyed. But absent a catastrophic event, the general feeling in the scientific community is that these contaminations that lead to foodborne illness outbreaks are at low levels and not widely spread, e.g. a single ill or recovering worker that did not wash his/her hands properly after use of a restroom and handled perhaps a few hundred fruit.
So that puts us in a position of trying to understand how many tomatoes we would have to sample and test to be sure that we could find every tomato fruit that was contaminated so we could eliminate them from going to consumers. (See related question.) Your grower cannot test every tomato, as it is too expensive and it results in the destruction of the fruit. So while the idea of product testing for pathogens sounds great, in reality the resources required are better spent in prevention of contamination in the first place.

FDA: Frequently Asked Questions on tomatoes and salmonella

Posted to the FDA Web site yesterday:

Consumer and Industry Advice and General Information
What kind of illness does Salmonella cause?
People who eat food contaminated with Salmonella often have fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. The bacterium can enter the bloodstream and causes more severe illness, although this rarely happens. Infection with Salmonella also may be more serious or fatal in young children, frail or elderly people, and people with weakened immune systems.
How many people have become ill in this outbreak?
To date, 145 cases have been linked to the outbreak. Twenty-three people have been hospitalized.
In what states have confirmed illnesses been reported?
Confirmed cases have been reported in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
What is the source of the contaminated tomatoes?
FDA has not yet identified the source of the contaminated tomatoes. FDA recognizes that the source of the contaminated tomatoes may be limited to a single grower or packer in a specific geographic area and is working diligently with the states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Indian Health Service, and various food-industry trade associations to quickly determine the source of the tomatoes associated with the outbreak.
What states or countries have been ruled out as the source of this outbreak?
The U.S. states in which people have become ill from tomatoes do not necessarily represent the areas where the tomatoes were grown. The tomatoes might have been shipped to these states from elsewhere.
U.S. states and territories and countries other than the U.S. that had not gone into tomato production at the time of the outbreak or have been otherwise ruled out as the source of the contamination, include the following.
U.S. States
Alabama
Arkansas
California
Georgia
Hawaii
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Minnesota
Mississippi
Nebraska
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
U.S. Territories
Puerto Rico
Countries Other than the U.S.
Belgium
Canada
Dominican Republic
Guatemala
Israel
Netherlands
As the investigation continues, more states, territories, and countries may be added to this list.
What steps are being taken to prevent future illness from this outbreak?
The FDA, the CDC, the Indian Health Service, and state health department officials are collaborating closely to ensure that the outbreak is contained and that consumers and retailers are made aware of the contamination. The food industry is cooperating in the investigation and is assisting government officials in their efforts to find the source of the contamination and ensure that additional tainted tomatoes do not reach consumers.
What is Salmonella?
Salmonella is a type of bacterium. Fruits and vegetables that come into contact with Salmonella may become contaminated with it, causing illness if eaten. Salmonella lives in some animals, and can live in soil and water for months. Salmonella can be spread from surface to surface. For example, a tomato containing Salmonella can spread the bacterium to the cutting board on which the tomato is sliced.
What is the FDA's current advice about eating tomatoes?
At this time, consumers should avoid eating or handling raw red plum, raw red Roma, and raw round red tomatoes unless they are from the sources listed above. If consumers have tomatoes in their homes and are unsure of where they were grown or harvested, they are encouraged to contact the store where they bought the tomatoes. Currently, consumers may continue to buy cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes with the vine still attached, and tomatoes grown at home — all of which do not appear to be involved in the outbreak.
Safety tips include avoiding tomatoes that look damaged; for example, if the skin of a tomato is broken or the tomato is spoiled, the tomato should be thrown out.
However, contaminated tomatoes may look healthy, so safe handling is important for every tomato, as it is for all other types of fresh produce. Consumers are advised as follows:
Wash hands with soap and warm water before handling tomatoes.
Wash each tomato thoroughly under running water. Don't wash tomatoes in a tub or sink filled with water.
When finished washing a tomato, cut out the scar where the stem was, and throw it away.
Never cut a fresh tomato until it has been thoroughly washed.
Cut the tomato on a clean cutting board, using clean utensils. Don't let the tomato come in contact with other raw foods or the surfaces they have touched. Wash cutting boards and utensils in between each different type of food that is cut.
Refrigerate fresh, cut tomatoes (or products made from them, such as salsa) at 41° F or less if they're not eaten within two hours.
Wash hands with soap and warm water after preparing the tomatoes.
Note: The FDA doesn't recommend using any kinds of detergents to wash fresh produce, because it is not yet known if their residues are harmful to humans.
Can cooking tomatoes eliminate Salmonella?
At this time, the FDA does not recommend cooking tomatoes to prevent illness from this outbreak. The types of tomatoes implicated in this outbreak should not be eaten.
What is FDA's advice to retailers and food service providers about tomatoes?
The safe-handling recommendations listed above also apply to retailers and food-service providers. Refrigeration will not kill Salmonella in fresh, cut tomatoes, but it will help prevent the bacterium from growing. Additional recommendations for retailers and food-service providers include the following:
Fresh, cut tomatoes should be refrigerated at 41° F or less.
If fresh, cut tomatoes are added to another food, such as salsa, the food should be refrigerated at 41° F or less.
If fresh, cut tomatoes are placed on a salad, it should be refrigerated at 41° F or less.
Fresh, cut tomatoes on sandwiches must be refrigerated at 41° F or less.
Again, washing hands with soap and warm water before and after handling tomatoes, and cleaning cutting surfaces and utensils before and after use, are crucial.
Are tomatoes from farmers' markets included in this outbreak?
Some farmers' markets get their tomatoes from sources other than local farms. These other sources may include the same ones that provided the tomatoes implicated in the Salmonella outbreak. At this time, buying the types of tomatoes that are linked to this outbreak at a farmer's market instead of a grocery store, for example, is not a guarantee that the tomatoes are safe. Consumers should ask retailers at farmers' markets what the sources of their tomatoes are.
During this outbreak, is it safer to eat locally grown tomatoes?
Tomatoes not implicated in the outbreak are the best choice at this time. These include cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes with the vine still attached, and home-grown tomatoes. Consumers should confirm with their retailers the sources of tomatoes advertised as "locally grown."
Where can consumers find out more about how to keep from becoming sick from tomatoes?
More information about safe handling of fresh produce is available on the FDA website.
About the Outbreak
What is an outbreak?
An outbreak is defined by the CDC as two or more cases of the same disease that share a common exposure.
When did the illnesses associated with the current outbreak start?
The illnesses began between April 23 and May 27, 2008.
How is the cause or source of a Salmonella outbreak determined?
Once an outbreak is detected and the states and the CDC have determined that two or more cases of the same disease share a common exposure, the FDA conducts a "traceback" investigation to determine the source of the contamination. The product is tracked from the point of purchase or service, through each point in the distribution, to find the source of the contamination. At each point in the distribution chain, an environmental investigation is performed to determine whether the contamination may have occurred at that point and, if so, how it occurred. When outbreak illnesses occur across multiple states, the contamination often occurred at, or near, the original source of the product. In addition to helping contain current outbreaks, information gained from traceback and other investigations can help scientists develop measures to prevent future occurrences.
From farm to table, where in the process are tomatoes most likely to become contaminated? What are the most likely sources of contamination?
Fresh produce, including tomatoes, can become contaminated at any point along the supply chain, from the field or greenhouse where it is grown to distribution points to food preparation in restaurants and homes.
FDA's 1998 Guide to Minimize Microbial Contamination of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (also referred to as the Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) guide) describes potential sources of microbial contamination in the field and packing house environments and makes recommendations for how to reduce or minimize opportunities for contamination.
According to the GAPs guide, areas that should be considered to minimize the potential for the microbial contamination of produce include: agricultural water (e.g., for irrigation or crop protection sprays); wild and domestic animals; worker health and hygiene; the production environment (use of manure, previous land use, and use of adjacent land); post harvest water quality (water used to wash or cool produce) and sanitation of facilities and equipment.
Have there been other outbreaks from contaminated tomatoes, before this one?
Since 1990, at least 12 large, multi-state foodborne outbreaks and some small local outbreaks have been associated with different varieties of tomatoes. From 1998 - 2006, outbreaks reported to FDA associated with tomatoes made up 17 percent of the produce-related outbreaks. Salmonella has been the pathogen of concern most often associated with outbreaks from tomatoes.
Government Activities Related to Produce Safety
Is the government conducting investigations and tests?
Yes, the federal (principally CDC and the FDA) and state governments are working together to analyze samples from ill persons and product samples of tomatoes in an attempt to quickly identify the source(s) of the outbreak.
The outbreak strain of Salmonella from ill persons is being "fingerprinted" at public health laboratories around the country, as part of PulseNet (the network of public health laboratories that sub-type bacteria). All Salmonella strains associated with this outbreak have the same genetic "fingerprint" (DNA pattern).
What steps has FDA taken to reduce the potential for Salmonella outbreaks from tomatoes?
On June 12, 2007, FDA announced a Tomato Safety Initiative, a multi-year effort focusing on the East Coast. The Initiative is a collaborative effort between FDA and the State health and agriculture departments in Virginia and Florida, in cooperation with several universities and the produce industry. This initiative is part of an ongoing, risk-based strategy to reduce foodborne illness by focusing food safety efforts on specific products, practices, and growing areas that have been found to be problematic in the past.
This project includes identifying practices or conditions that potentially lead to product contamination, which will allow FDA to continue to improve its guidance and policy on tomato safety. The Initiative also is evaluating the need for additional produce safety research, education, and outreach. The Initiative supports an important goal in the 2004 FDA Produce Safety Action Plan: minimizing the incidence of foodborne illness associated with the consumption of fresh produce.
Does FDA issue assignments to sample and test domestic and foreign tomatoes?
The FDA routinely collects random samples of tomatoes of all varieties, domestic and imported, from various growers, packers and shippers. The samples are sent to a FDA laboratory, to be analyzed for a variety of bacteria, including Salmonella.
Has FDA conducted outreach/education activities regarding tomato safety?
The FDA has issued a press release to notify the public of the current Salmonella outbreak in tomatoes; the press release will be updated as information continues to be obtained and evaluated. In addition, FDA has posted consumer and industry (retailer) warnings and advice related to the current Salmonella outbreak on its website.
The FDA web site also includes a consumers' page about safe handling of fresh produce, including tomatoes. In 2006, the FDA issued a publication called Program Information Manual: Retail Food Protection — Storage and Handling of Tomatoes for members of the food industry. Safe-handling guidelines for the tomato-supply industry are nearing completion.

MSNBC coverage: McDonalds pulls tomatoes

Coverage posted to youtube from MSNBC. Again, the suggestion of a halo effect for local produce: