Big Red Tomato Packers of Fort Pierce, Florida, has announced a voluntary recall issuing a limited recall of 20- and 25-pound boxes of fresh tomatoes, because they may be contaminated with salmonella. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which posted the recall notice on its web site, said the salmonella organism can cause serious […]
Big Red Tomato Packers of Fort Pierce, Florida, has announced a voluntary recall issuing a limited recall of 20- and 25-pound boxes of fresh tomatoes, because they may be contaminated with salmonella.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which posted the recall notice on its web site, said the salmonella organism can cause serious infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and anyone with a weakened immune system. The symptoms include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the disease usually runs its course in about seven days. Many infected people recover without treatment but the illness can be serious enough to require hospitalization, especially for children under five and the elderly. The CDC reports that antibiotic resistance is increasing among salmonella strains and recommends susceptibility testing to determine the appropriate choice of drug.
The recall includes 790 boxes of tomatoes from lot 1106. The affected packages were distributed in Florida, North Carolina, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. All receivers of the lot have been notified of the recall.
The potential contamination was discovered on January 28th in a routine random sample of tomatoes from this lot. Big Red said it is reviewing all policies and procedures associated with food safety to minimize any future occurrence. The FDA and the company advise that any tomatoes from the recalled lot be disposed of immediately.
For further information, contact Erin Cox at Big Red at 772.466.0700 or by email: erin@bigredtomatopackers.com.
