Salmonella Can Ride Water Into Tomatoes

If you were to pick a tomato in the blazing sun and submerge it into cold water, the temperature difference can make the tomato literally suck water into it through it's scar where the stem use to be. If Salmonella happens to be on the surface of the tomato, this is a way in which it can penetrate and get in. If you happen not to eat the tomato right away, it gives the Salmonella time to grow and multiply. This does not mean that you should not wash your tomatoes. However, it does indicate that maybe you should be washing your fruits and veggies in warm water. "Raw fruits and vegetables are crucial to a healthy diet. But they're also the culprits in a growing list of nasty outbreaks: E. coli in spinach and lettuce. Hepatitis A in green onions. Cyclospora in raspberries. Salmonella in cantaloupe. Shigella in parsley. This newest salmonella outbreak is the 14th blamed on tomatoes since 1990."

Many, like the FDA, want to set stricter guidelines, so that these outbreaks occur less. Congress, however, has not acted on the requests that have been made. Also budget setbacks have hindered the inspections of food-producing facilities dropping the amount of inspections by 56% since 2003.

Water is one of the main suspects in salmonella. For example, is clean water being used to irrigate the tomatoes, mix pesticides sprayed on crops, wash down harvest and processing equipment, and wash field workers' hands? Or is there a possibility that the salmonella is in the dirt and the plants are sucking it up through it's root system? Whatever the case, many scientists are studying the root cause. Just make sure that when you get your produce home, whether it be tomatoes, strawberries, or apples, wash them well in warm water.




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