Homegrown goods: Fears over fuel and salmonella drive tomato gardens

Backyard gardening has never been out of style, but with rising fuel prices driving food prices its getting a fair amount of attention. The Star Tribune focused on the issue and profiled local garden-blogger Lori Erickson who seeds her own tomatoes — and lots of them.

Not only does Erickson have the advantage when it comes to cost and taste, but she’s also avoiding the annual pitfalls of the industrial food industry. The Food and Drug Administration has is alerting consumers in New Mexico and Texas that a salmonellosis outbreak appears to be linked to consumption of certain types of raw red tomatoes and products containing them.

According to the FDA, there have been 57 reported cases of salmonellosis, including 17 hospitalizations, caused by an uncommon bacteria called “Salmonella Saintpaul” in New Mexico and Texas from April 23 though June 1, 2008. Approximately 30 reports of illness in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas and Utah are currently being investigated to determine whether they are also linked to tomatoes. Last year the FDA launched the Tomato Safety Initiative to prevent such outbreaks.