You won’t find tomatoes at Chipotle or McDonald’s for a while — the chains (joined by Target and Wal-Mart) have stopped them in response to a salmonella scare. Locally grown tomatoes are safe (as any haute Greenmarket fan will tell you), but threats to the national food infrastructure aren’t limited to any one region. Any chain restaurant could conceivably be a carrier of tainted tomatoes. The FDA announced over the weekend that 145 reported cases of salmonella poisonings since mid-April were linked to raw red plum, red Roma, and red round tomatoes. Those cases aren’t in New York, but as with the Taco Bell lettuce crisis that hit in late 2006, our area may eventually be affected. If you’re not sure you’re eating local, the FDA advises sticking to cherry and grape tomatoes or tomatoes sold on the vine.
McDonald’s, Wal-Mart stop some tomato sales [Reuters via Serious Eats]
Related: Germs Gone Wild!
