CONTACT PERSON:  

Kathy Forzley, Environmental Health Service Administrator

Oakland County Health Division

(248) 858-1320

Public Health Advisory
Michigan Grown Tomatoes Declared Safe

June 13, 2008 The Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) today announced that Michigan-grown tomatoes are not associated with the current Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak and have been declared safe to eat by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

Michigan has been added to the FDAs safe to consume list available online.

While Michigan grown tomatoes are deemed safe to eat, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to investigate an ongoing multi-state outbreak of human Salmonella linked to consumption of raw red plum, red Roma, and round red tomatoes, and products containing these raw tomatoes.

Michigan is second in the nation in terms of agricultural diversity and is home to approximately 500 open-field tomato farms and 15 hydroponic/greenhouse tomato operations with locally focused distribution.

More information on this investigation is available at:

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA):
www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
www.cdc.gov/salmonella/saintpaul/

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