A recall has been issued for tomatoes amid fears they could be contaminated with a killer bacteria.
The FDA is recalling vine ripe tomatoes which were sold in plastic clam shells in 11 states, including New York and Pennsylvania, due to possible salmonella contamination.
No illnesses have been reported to yet but salmonella can cause serious and fatal illnesses in young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.
In healthy adults, it can cause a fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
The tomatoes were packed by Ray and Mascarim Inc, based in Indiana, and should have a green and white label that reads ‘vine ripe tomatoes’.
The FDA has said anyone who purchased these tomatoes should discard them immediately and not consume them.
Officials said that recalled tomatoes have the UPC number 7 96553 20062 1, which is found beneath the barcode on the packaging.
They can be returned to stores for a full refund.
The above image shows the packaging for the tomatoes recalled due to feared salmonella contamination
An undisclosed number were sold across 11 states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
It is not clear how the tomatoes became contaminated with salmonella, but they may have been irrigated with water contaminated with animal feces — which can carry the bacteria.
They may also have been contaminated via dirty surfaces or equipment in processing plants, which would spread salmonella to multiple tomatoes.
Salmonella contaminations are serious, and trigger about 41 food recalls every year.
Estimates suggest that more than a million people in the US catch salmonella every year, while 26,500 are hospitalized and 420 die.
Unlike most bacteria, once consumed some strains of salmonella can survive the stomach acid and travel into the intestines.
Once there, they burrow into the cells lining the organ, causing inflammation, diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever. The bacteria may also enter the bloodstream and travel to other organs.
If left untreated, the bacteria can prove fatal by triggering sepsis — or a severe over-reaction of the body’s immune system to an infection.
Doctors can treat a salmonella infection using antibiotics and an IV drip to replace lost fluids.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .