Tomatoes... we miss you

The health authorities in the US issued in the past days a warning to consumers and businesses to avoid certain types of tomatoes after a salmonella outbreak. The situation is quite serious: according to a report by BBC, there have been 145 cases of salmonella reported since mid-April, distributed in 17 states across the United States.

As the FDA is investigating the origin of the outbreak, certain companies have decided to stop serving and distributing some types of tomato. Some of the companies include Wal-Mart, McDonald's, Burger King, and Subway, the latter of which has also pulled its tomatoes from its stores in Canada (not sure whether McDonald's and Burger King have done the same yet).

It is good that the authorities take this situation seriously. It is crucial to prevent the disease from spreading in North America, but for a person who really values the taste of tomatoes in their sandwiches and salads (such as myself), these are quite tough times. Hopefully the quarantine will not be too long, but in the meantime I can firmly assure: Tomatoes... we miss you.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons