North Olympic Peninsula shoppers may not be able to find their favorite varieties of tomatoes, following reports linking some types of tomatoes to salmonella infections nationwide.
But residents won’t go without, since some varieties are considered safe.
Sunny Farms Country Store west of Sequim, Safeway Food and Drug stores in Port Townsend, Sequim and Port Angeles, QFC in Port Townsend, Sequim and Port Hadlock and Albertsons in Port Angeles confirmed Tuesday that they have pulled some varieties from their shelves.
“We pulled the affected ones at the time, and now we have many for sale that are not in any way involved in the issue,” said Donna Eggers, regional public affairs manager for Albertsons.
The Centers for Disease Control reported Monday that since mid-April, 167 people nationwide have been reported infected with an unusual type of salmonella bacteria called Salmonella Saintpaul.
No deaths have been reported.
Preliminary FDA findings suggest that raw red plum, raw red Roma or raw round red tomatoes have been the cause of the outbreaks.
The FDA has not yet determined the origin of the contaminated tomatoes.
“We hope that in the next few days we’ll be in a position to identify the exact source,” FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach said in San Francisco on Tuesday.
Seventeen states — including Washington, Oregon and Idaho — have reported cases of infection, with the largest number, 56, in Texas.
At least 23 people have been hospitalized.
Only one case was reported in Washington state.
A teenager from Okanogan County was reported infected with the rare strain of salmonella.
Only three people were infected nationwide in 2007 with Salmonella Saintpaul, the CDC said.
Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached and tomatoes grown at home are considered safe.
So, also, are tomatoes from Canada, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.
Imports from Belgium, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Israel, Netherlands and Puerto Rico have also been determined safe for consumption, the CDC said.
On Tuesday, federal authorities cleared fresh tomatoes being harvested in Florida and all those grown in California — the nation’s top two tomato-producing states.
