Tomatoes?

[Dj]

Ok, maybe Cope can explain this with his background, but how does Salmonella get into tomatoes? I thought this bacterium was isolated to egg-products and egg-producing animals. Maybe I've just been misinformed all my life...

[Cope]

Salmonella is actually passed on thru feces. It is an intestinal bacteria.....thus chicken butt jokes do apply.

Chickens are the weakest commercially grown meat. Science and antibiotics have weakened the natural strength of chickens even worse. So they carry salmonella more than other animals.

Just sanitize your kitchens, clean and properly cook your food and you will be okay.

The tomato thing is interesting though - chicken shit makes up a huge portion of today's "natural" fertilizers. Without knowing the whole story, I would thing that some of the fertilizers were not sanitized correctly. Or a stronger strain of salmonella may be on the loose.

I will research it.

[Dj]

That makes sense. I was trying to figure out if this was a genetic-enhancement issue, or meant to guise itself as one, since the FDA just ruled that genetically altered foods do not require labeling. I thought perhaps someone upset over the ruling might have done deliberate tampering to create attention. Of course, this was my ignorant thinking before you explained what you did...contaminated fertilizer makes the most sense: Occam's razor.

[Lew]

Also, the clensing process for the tomatoes can actually make the situation worse if not done correctly.  The are effectively steam washed before packing.  If the temperature isn't pretty much perfect the heat can open up fissures on the fruit and allow bacteria to get inside.  Washing tomatoes is not a full proof way to get rid of all the bad stuff.

This is all really making me miss home grown tomatoes.  Fresh tomatoes taste so much better than store bought.

[Cope]

Just buy on the vine tomatoes in the store.....they are safe and tasre a littel better.

Stay away from fruit stands unless you know they are home-grown...

[Fingers]

I prefer my tomatoes come from a ketchup bottle!