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Issues: Food Safety & Security

Salmonella Saintpaul Foodborne Illness Outbreak (Sitio en espanol)

An outbreak of Salmonella saintpaul illnesses attributed to fresh produce – first certain types of tomatoes, and more recently certain types of peppers – was first reported by federal officials in early June.

To help protect public health, PMA is working with federal authorities, including U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to ensure they have the information they need to narrow down and resolve the situation as quickly as possible. We are also working with our produce industry allies to communicate with our respective members, and on behalf of the produce industry.

This Web page is designed to keep PMA members and others up to date as information becomes available. Please visit this page regularly for updates.

PMA members: To sign up to receive PMA issue alerts year-round, contact the PMA Solution Center by telephone at +1 (302) 738-7100.

Contents:

• Products Implicated/Products and Production Areas Excluded
• States and Illnesses Confirmed to Date
• Government Statements and Resources
• PMA Alerts
• PMA Contacts
• Food Safety Links & Resource
• Crisis Assistance

Product(s) implicated (as of July 21): Per FDA advice: “Raw jalapeño peppers and foods that contain them, such as some types of salsa and pico de gallo. FDA also advises that consumers who are especially vulnerable to infection, such as infants, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems, avoid raw serrano peppers and foods that contain them at this time. Consumers are advised not to wash, peel, or cook these kinds of raw peppers to try to get rid of Salmonella contamination that may be present. These actions are not likely to get rid of Salmonella, which is very hard to remove by conventional means, and might spread the bacterium to the environment; for example, to hands, sinks, cutting boards, knives, and other foods.

EXCLUDED: Round red and Roma/plum tomatoes produced in the following production areas are excluded

US States: Alabama; Arkansas; California; Colorado; Delaware; specific counties in Florida (shipments of tomatoes harvested in these counties are acceptable with a certificate issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: Jackson, Gadsden, Leon, Jefferson, Madison, Suwannee, Hamilton, Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee, Hardee, DeSoto, Sarasota, Highlands, Pasco, Sumter, Citrus, Hernando, Charlotte); Georgia; Hawaii; Indiana; Louisiana; Maine; Maryland; Minnesota; Mississippi; Nevada; New Jersey; New Mexico; New York; Nebraska; North Carolina; Ohio; Oklahoma; Pennsylvania; South Carolina; Tennessee; Texas; West Virginia; Wisconsin

Mexican States: (Aguascalientes, Baja California Norte, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Colima, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Distrito Federal, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, México, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, Tobasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatán, Zacatecas)

Countries: Belgium; Canada; Dominican Republic; Guatemala; Israel; Mexico’s Baja California (Norte) (with a certificate issued by the Secretaria de Fomento Agropecuario del Gobierno del Estado de Baja California);Netherlands; and Puerto Rico.

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States and illnesses confirmed involved to date (August 21):

Since April, 1438 persons infected with Salmonella Saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprint have been identified in 43 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. These were identified because clinical laboratories in all states send Salmonella strains from ill persons to their State public health laboratory for characterization.The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (6 persons), Arkansas (21), Arizona (59), California (16), Colorado (17), Connecticut (5), Florida (4), Georgia (42), Idaho (6), Illinois (120), Indiana (21), Iowa (2), Kansas (21), Kentucky (2), Louisiana (3), Maine (1), Maryland (39), Massachusetts (31), Michigan (28), Minnesota (31), Mississippi (2), Missouri (20), Montana (1), New Hampshire (6), Nevada (14), New Jersey (16), New Mexico (114), New York (41), North Carolina (28), Ohio (10), Oklahoma (38), Oregon (11), Pennsylvania (15), Rhode Island (3), South Carolina (2), Tennessee (10), Texas (559), Utah (2), Virginia (31), Vermont (2), Washington (18), West Virginia (1), Wisconsin (13), and the District of Columbia (1). Five ill persons are reported from Canada. Four appear to have been infected while traveling in the United States; the travel status of the fifth ill person is unknown.

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Government Statements and Resources

• CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (Focused on Outbreak) - August 28
• FDA Salmonella saintpaul Outbreak Traceback Diagram and Distribution - July 31
• FDA Extends Consumer Warning on Serrano Peppers from Mexico - July 30
• U.S. Grown Jalapeño and Serrano Peppers Not Connected to Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak - July 25
• Agricola Zaragoza, Inc. Recalls Jalapeno Peppers Because of Possible Health Risk - July 21
• FDA Lifts Warning About Eating Certain Types of Tomatoes - July 17
• Mexican government Baja California Norte certification Web site
• FDA Questions & Answers: Advice to Consumers and Industry - June 12
• FDA Warns Consumers Nationwide Not to Eat Certain Types of Raw Red Tomatoes - June 7
• FDA This Week: Finding Food Problems Faster - June 6
• FDA Warns Consumers in New Mexico and Texas Not to Eat Certain Types of Raw Red Tomatoes - June 3
• FDA Web site: Salmonella saintpaul Outbreak
• CDC: Investigation of Outbreak of Infections Caused by Salmonella Saintpaul - June 2

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PMA Communications (note: you must be logged in to PMA.com to view these)

• FDA Finds Salmonella saintpaul in Irrigation Water at Farm in Mexico - July 31
• PMA Testifies at House Hearing on Traceability for Fresh Produce - July 30
• FDA Removes US Grown Jalapeno and Serrano Peppers from Salmonella Outbreak Advisory - July 25
• News from our meeting with FDA; town hall meeting in Monterey this Saturday - July 23
• FDA: Jalapeno pepper sample tests positive for Salmonella saintpaul - July 21
• FDA Lifts Tomato Advisory - July 17
• Status Report on PMA Activities on Tomato Food Safety - July 3
• PMA, United Fresh Letter to HHS Secretary Leavitt Reiterating Request for Meeting - July 3
• FDA Expands Scope of Outbreak Investigation, Calls for Electronic Record keeping - July 1
• Traceback, Illness Update - June 20
• PMA, United Fresh Seek HHS Meeting to Improve Crisis Response – June 17
• PMA/United Fresh letter to HHS Secretary Leavitt requesting meeting - June 17
• Mexican Tomatoes from Baja California Norte To Be Allowed with ID Program - June 14
• PMA Letter to FDA Requesting Exclusion of Mexican Tomatoes Harvested after May 1 - June 12
• Industry Letter to Retail and Foodservice Buyers - June 12
• Most Florida Tomatoes Cleared - June 11
• FDA/CDC expand do-not-eat advice on certain round red, Roma/plum tomatoes to entire United States - June 7
• FDA: Arkansas, Tennessee Production OK, Use of Certain Tomatoes - June 6
• Tomatoes from certain areas cleared; FDA gives advice to TX, NM foodservice, retail - June 5
• PMA, United Fresh to Host Member Call on Tomato Outbreak June 4 at 5:30 p.m. Eastern - June 4
• Tomatoes linked to illness outbreak in the Western U.S. (Salmonella saintpaul) - June 3
• Tomatoes linked to illness outbreak in New Mexico - June 1

• PMA Summary of Food Safety Insurance Options

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PMA Contacts

Kathy Means
Vice President of Government Relations & Public Affairs
Office: +1 (302) 738-7100
Mobile: +1 (302) 593-2017
kmeans@pma.com

Julia Stewart
Director of Public Relations
Office: +1 (302) 738-7100
Mobile: +1 (703) 727-8808
jstewart@pma.com