Bill Introduced for Tomato/Salmonella Losses

In the wake of the recent warning by the FDA to forgo tomato consumption due to their probable role in the ongoing outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul, Rep. Tim Mahoney (D-FL) introduced legislation to provide U.S. tomato growers and shippers with $100 million to compensate for losses they incurred during the outbreak. The bill, cosponsored by U.S. Representatives Allen Boyd, Adam Putnam, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Vern Buchanan, asks the Secretary of Agriculture to pay tomato growers and first handlers that were unable to market tomatoes due to the FDA’s June 2008 advisory not to eat fresh tomatoes due to the salmonella outbreak. It makes the USDA responsible for issuing regulations and determining eligibility for compensation, similar to other disaster programs.FDA has lifted the warning on tomatoes, but the focus on the search for the cause of the outbreak has shifted to fresh jalapeno peppers with the discovery of the suspect strain in a sample of Mexican peppers. Since April, 1284 persons, in 43 states, plus the District of Columbia and Canada, have been found to be infected with Salmonella Saintpaul having the same genetic identification according to the CDC.Source:  “Tomato Industry Seeks Compensation,” Wall Street Journal online