Perhaps the most frustrating issue of any food recall is that consumers may not know if the food was used as an ingredient in another type of food. This happened earlier this year with beef recalls and is a major issue now with a salmonella threat looming over certain tomatoes.
In a signal to food suppliers and buyers, the Food and Drug administration issued multiple statements indicating which tomato crops were deemed safe. The agency falls woefully short, however, on consumer advice, suggesting that consumers ask restaurant servers or other food personnel about the tomato’s origin.
That is a nice thought, but more than a little naive. Note to restaurant owners: you can stop laughing now, but make sure your staff doesn’t give false information. When they don’t know, the correct answer is “I don’t know” or “I’ll find out”.
Meanwhile, nearly 400 consumers have now been confirmed to have contracted salmonella from tainted tomatoes. Of that group, more than 10% have required hospitalization.
The fast food chains performed admirably, pulling the fruit-not-a-vegetable from their shelves. With guidance, the chains have now added the tomato back on their burgers and gone back to spooning up salsa.
Until a better rationale is found, however, I’m all for “hold the tomato” at home and when dining out.
This post was written by George Bounacos on June 20, 2008
