June 10, 2008
Salmonella Scare Forces Tomatoes Off Menu
Panic is gripping stomachs nationwide as news spreads about a salmonella food poisoning outbreak caused by certain varieties of tomatoes. The FDA has not been able to pinpoint the source of the poisoning, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports at least 23 people, mostly in New Mexico and Texas, have been hospitalized since mid-April, with no fatalities… yet. The main symptoms are diarrhea and extreme abdominal pain.
Tomatoes grown in New York State are believed to be safe from the bacteria (found in animal feces), but some New Yorkers are still feeling the affects of the outbreak, as Subway, Chipotle, Outback Steakhouse and Taco Bell have all 86’d tomatoes. McDonald’s will keep the grape tomatoes in salads, but has pulled tomatoes from burgers nationwide. The Post gets some local color from disgruntled McDonald’s diners, quoting 17-year-old Beata Royzman, who speaks for all of us: “It's disgusting.” And the Daily News talks to 24-year-old Big Mac eater Tashi Topgyal, who cries, “I wish they had the tomatoes. It's a vegetable. It's the healthy part of the meal!”
Have the days of BYO tomatoes arrived? The FDA recommends steering clear of raw red plum, raw red Roma, or raw round red tomatoes, but cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, and tomatoes grown at home are believed to be safe. The FDA also warns consumers to watch out for fresh salsa, guacamole, and pico de gallo, which typically contain raw tomatoes.
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A tomato is not a vegetable, but thanks for playing!
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"It's the healthy part of the meal!”
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why we're a country of fat loads.
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There aren't any tomatos on a Big Mac.
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I bet The Editor of the Rag Known as the NY Post waited his whole life for that front page...
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Avoid guacamole? Player please...
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"The FDA recommends steering clear of raw red plum, raw red Roma, or raw round red tomatoes...also warns consumers to watch out for fresh salsa, guacamole, and pico de gallo, which typically contain raw tomatoes."
FDA also is suggesting we all hide under our beds, close all the shades and never go outside again. Sheesh...people need to relax.
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Nobody said nothin bout a Big Mac shut ya mouth son
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The story quotes a Big Mac eater complaining about a lack of tomatoes. Failed reading comprehension?
This is stupid. Twenty-three people mostly in the southwest get sick and now I can't get tomato on a Whopper in New York? And nobody died, yet the cover of the Post implies they did. Dumb shit.
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I'm sure some of the fast food employees are less than diligent with their hand washing habits, so what's the big deal if we get a small sampling of tomato with animal feces when we probably get a burger with a small sampling of human feces.
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sooo much moral panic. The chances of you getting Salmonella poisoning from tomatoes is slimmer than winning the lottery and yet it's the headline. Yellow Journalism at it's best.
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I absolutely HATE the NY Post and believe it to be the worst possible toilet paper on the planet, but that is an awesome cover (even if it is sensationalistic).
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I'm buying duct tape today.
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I understand "better safe than sorry", but the last few responses to food contamination seem to be way overboard. 100-200 people get sick (over a 2 month period), so we throw out all the tomatoes in the country?
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More reasons to get tomatoes from your favorite greenmarket and not to eat fast food.
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They put tomatoes in Big Macs? Isn't it two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun? I don't see any tomatoes in that sentence.
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^ Yeah, well we don't see carageenan or sodium biphosphate, or hydrogenated vegetable oil in that sentence either.
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You never seem to bring anything productive to a discussion. Par for the course for a troll, I guess. If you're so smart, go ahead and find some tomatoes in a Big Mac.
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^I'd have to pull it out of your mouth first, you sad little pennywise commuter. I bet you calculate the inflation time for your bike tires and adjust your daily schedule "just in case". If I'm a troll (and who isn't?) what does that make you, my friend? A schmuck.