Alert: Recalled Grape Tomatoes in Ready-to-Eat Salads

Many of us include vitamin packed fresh tomatoes as part of our weight loss surgery diet for their easy digestibility and high water content. Today in the news we have been alerted to an outbreak of salmonella in fresh tomatoe. Please take a moment to review this article from WebMD and evaluate your risk. This contamination scare coupled with the recent drastic increase in the price of tomatoes has many of us keeping them off the menu. However using canned tomatoes and canned tomato products such as marinara sauce provides the same nutrients --including health promoting lycopene-- as fresh tomatoes. Try this quick and affordable recipe for Huevos Rancheros, a traditional egg breakfast with a Mexican twist. It is simple and delicious and makes a very good weeknight supper for the whole family using canned tomatoes and other pantry-handy ingredients.

From the LivingAfterWLS Library:

Healthy Eating: Tomatoes
by Kaye Bailey

After weight loss surgery it is important to include as many healthy foods in our diet as possible while still respecting the the restrictive nature gastric bypass system. One of the foods that many patients report having a high tolerance for is tomatoes. It's well known that a high intake of tomato products is associated with lowered risk of colon and prostate cancers, a beneficial effect thought to be due to tomatoes high content of the carotenoids, lycopene and beta-carotene. Read More

Recalled Grape Tomatoes in Ready-to-Eat Salads
Recalled Grape Tomatoes in Ready-to-Eat Salads

Salmonella Fears Spur Recall of Popular Garden, Seafood, Chicken Salads

By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

May 3, 2011 – Grape tomatoes possibly contaminated with salmonella have found their way into ready-to-eat salads sold by Albertsons, Raley's, Safeway, Savemart, Sam's Club, and Walmart stores.

The grape tomatoes had been recalled on April 29 by Six L's of Immokalee, Fla. The recalled lot of grape tomatoes were sold under the brand name Cherry Berry and marked with the lot code DW-H. They were sold in clamshell packages as well as in 20-pound cardboard containers.

The grape tomatoes were distributed in 10 states and in Canada, but then spread out through retail and restaurant distribution.

Yesterday, Taylor Farms Pacific Inc. of Tracey, Calif., recalled salad products it had made using the recalled grape tomatoes.

The salad products include seafood salads, Mediterranean salads, green salads, quinoa salads, orzo salads, salads with chicken, chef salads, Cobb salads, Greek salads, and mozzarella salads.

The grape tomatoes originally were distributed in Canada and in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.

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