OAK BROOK, Ill. -- McDonald's Corp. and other restaurant chains are pulling certain tomatoes from their menus until they learn the source of a recent spate of salmonella cases, said The Wall Street Journal. Since April, 145 cases of a type of salmonella known as "Saintpaul" have been reported in at least 16 states, including at least 23 hospitalizations, according to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). No deaths have been reported.
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McDonald's has stopped serving [image-nocss] sliced tomatoes on all of its sandwiches in the United States, a spokesperson told the newspaper. "This is a precautionary measure only," she said. The chain will continue to serve grape tomatoes in its salads."
Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. said it has temporarily halted sales of its tomato salsa in all restaurants even though the salsa "is completely safe." The company said it would suspend sales "as long as there remains any concern about the tomato supply in this country."
Burger King withdrew raw, round, red tomatoes in most U.S. locations with the exception of some restaurants in California that are serviced by growers located in states approved safe by the FDA, a spokesperson told the Journal. The restaurant operator also removed raw, round, red tomatoes in Canada, Puerto Rico and in some restaurants in the Caribbean Islands.
Texas Roadhouse Inc. pulled all of its fresh tomatoes from its menu last week after it learned of the salmonella cases.The chain will continue serving chili, which contains cooked tomatoes.
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. also decided last week to stop serving raw tomatoes on its salads and sandwiches "until we can be absolutely assured that the product we have is safe," spokesperson Julie Davis told the paper.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. directed stores in New Mexico, Texas and other locations to remove certain types of tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes and tomatoes sold with the vine still attached can still be purchased at the retailer, said the report. Wal-Mart is providing refunds to customers who purchased the affected tomatoes. Regional grocery chain Winn-Dixie Stores also said Monday that it is removing affected tomatoes from its stores. Winn-Dixie operates more than 500 stores in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia and Mississippi.Potbelly Sandwich Works LLC and Fluky 's area few morof the chains that have removed tomatoes from their products. In the Chicago area, Dominick 's, Treasure Island and Jewel grocery stores have taken tomatoes linked to a salmonella outbreak off their shelves, reported Crain's Chicago Business.In Pittsburgh, KDKA-TV reported that Giant Eagle supermarkets also removed several kinds of tomatoes from their shelves, while the Times said chains Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons did the same.The FDA is recommending that consumers not eat raw red Roma, raw red plum, and raw red round tomatoes harvested from certain states. Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes and tomatoes sold with the vine still attached are safe, the FDA said. Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections, particularly in young children, frail or elderly people and those with weakened immune systems.For the convenience store industry, the scare is reminiscent of the salmonella outbreak that occurred in July 2004 involving Altoona, Pa.-based Sheetz Inc. Pennsylvania health officials determined early on in their investigation that there was no evidence of insufficient cooking or hygiene on the part of Sheetz. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) quickly determined the source of contamination was from Roma tomatoes that Sheetz bought from Wheeling, W. Va.-based Coronet, which got them from a Florida tomato packing house. Coronet shut down and filed for bankruptcy in November 2004.
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