[StBernard] FDA: Louisiana Tomatoes Safe

[Westley Annis]

FDA: Louisiana Tomatoes Safe
TheNewOrleansChannel.com
updated 6:16 p.m. CT, Tues., June. 10, 2008
NEW ORLEANS - The recent outbreak of salmonella linked to tainted produce is
a nightmare for the tomato industry as a whole, but not for growers in
Louisiana. Crops grown here have not been connected in any way to the
illnesses reported in at least 17 states as of Tuesday. The biggest
challenge for local farmers is making sure consumers get the message that
their tomatoes are safe to eat. 

In Florida, meanwhile, major growers said tomatoes are rotting on the vine
by the hundreds of thousands. That state supplies more than 90 percent of
the nation's tomatoes this time of year. 

The annual value of Florida-grown tomatoes is somewhere between $500 million
and $700 million, and the industry fears catastrophic losses. 

The outbreak comes just as New Orleans prepares for its annual Creole Tomato
Festival, which celebrates a local variety unaffected by the salmonella
scare. 

Ben Becnel is one of the region's biggest producers of Creoles. 

"I don't know if that's going to put more demand on me, or if people are
going to be scared in general to just buy tomatoes," Becnel said. "If the
word would get out that Louisiana tomatoes are deemed safe - that we have no
problem - maybe the demand will go up." 

Louisiana is among 19 states where tomatoes have been deemed safe by the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Still, some area restaurants and grocery
stores have pulled plum, Roma and round tomatoes from shelves and menu items
because they import much of the produce used here.