When it comes to the disastrous digestive disorders caused by salmonella Saintpaul – and their mysterious origin — perhaps we should have known from the start that tomatoes might not be the bad apples.
Tomatoes, after all, are soft and juicy and seem relatively harmless, even if they have been used historically – especially as rotten tomatoes – to hurl at performers whose acts bombed.
But jalapenos? Those veggies can vex even in the best of circumstances, and certainly not everyone should eat them. Tasty as jalapenos can be, not even all bona fide, card-carrying, iron-stomached Texans raised on Tex-Mex food are immune from their indigestive powers. (more…)

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You say tomato, and I say forget about it? No way — not any longer — since the Food and Drug Administration has lifted its warning on tomatoes which sprang from America’s ongoing outbreak of salmonella Saintpaul.

Does that mean we’re home free, as far as the threat of bathroom runs spurred by this awful bacterium? No, sadly, it does not. Given the salmonella cases in which tomatoes were served with peppers or other foods, the FDA stills sees a possible link between the digestive-tract bug and jalapeno or Serrano peppers. You probably should add cilantro to that tossed salad of possible culprits, as well.

The FDA now advises people to avoid eating raw jalapeno or Serrano peppers. And young children and the elderly should be especially on the alert, since their immune systems aren’t as strong. (more…)

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Raw red tomatoes have consumers seeing red. Pitifully pained people in several states, including Texas, continue to suffer food poisoning via tomatoes tainted with salmonella, a bacteria which can cause diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, fever and abdominal pain. You know, like reading your income tax statement.

In other words, your price for munching a juicy red tomato with your burger or salad may be spending  days lurching between your bed and your bathroom – and all because you swallowed rather than switched. Oh, you know tomatoes can be rotten. But no, you eat them anyway, gulping down a familiar food which you trust will be healthy, as it’s been so many times before.

The source of this rotten tomato outbreak isn’t definite, but the Food and Drug Administration does believe one thing: Certain tomatoes remain A-OK. Reportedly, grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, homegrown tomatoes and tomatoes with the vine still attached are safe enough to eat without losing your lunch.

(more…)

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