Dean Knuth / Arizona Daily Star 2008

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Replacements at burger king

MIAMI — Burger King Holdings Inc. said Thursday that some of its restaurants began receiving new shipments of tomatoes after a food-poisoning scare forced the company to pull the produce nationwide. The tomato shipments were expected to start Thursday at some of its locations, but company spokesman Denise Wilson said it could take weeks to restock the entire chain.

3 types draw warning

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned consumers against three types of raw tomatoes that have sickened 228 people in 23 states since mid-April. It has not pinpointed the outbreak's source, but cleared imports from six countries — though not from Mexico, which supplies 80 percent of tomatoes imported into the U.S. Story, Page A11

Source: The Associated Press

Tomato-linked salmonella spreads to state, Pima County Here's why it's hard to track down salmonella-tainted-tomato source Some stores, restaurants removing certain tomatoes during salmonella outbreak McDonald's, others pull tomatoes over salmonella Tomatoes from Baja are OK'd; outbreak continues Stores pull some tomatoes after salmonella news Salmonella tomato hunt wide-ranging Salmonella probe looks at warehouses Hunt for source of outbreak is continuing

Business

Tainted tomatoes: What about salsa?

Mexican restaurants in Tucson improvise after tomato-linked salmonella outbreak

By Cathalena E. Burch and Kathleen Allen

Arizona Daily Star

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 06.13.2008

Tucson Mexican food restaurants are rewriting their recipes to keep the salsa flowing after an early June outbreak of salmonella food poisonings linked to raw tomatoes.

The tainted tomatoes were reported in Arizona and eight other states, U.S. health officials said, and at least five people in Arizona — one from Pima County — have become ill.

Tomatoes have been pulled from many restaurant menus, including Mexican restaurants that rely on the fruit as the centerpiece of their salsas.

Nico's Mexican Restaurant on East Golf Links Road yanked its pico de gallo and another Nico's, on East 29th Street, is serving the salsa tomato-less — made with onions and cilantro.

"Twenty percent of the people didn't want pico de gallo after watching the news about the tomatoes, but the others said it's all right" without the tomatoes, said Nico's manager Ricardo Salas.

Two local restaurants are substituting roasted canned tomatoes for fresh — Guadalajara Grill on East Prince Road and Cafe Poca Cosa Downtown.

"We have to be cautious, careful," said Cafe Poca Cosa owner Suzana Davila.

El Charro cooks its salsa, so the tainted tomatoes aren't an issue, said Thomas Knipe. He runs El Charro's USDA factory, which makes most of the food sold at the company's five restaurants including the salsa.

The restaurants, however, have yanked fresh tomatoes from the menu, he said.

"It affects us. We can't make a salsa fresca," Knipe said, then added, "In all reality we can because tomotoes are now available coming out of Willcox that are hydroponic. They're not affected."

He was referring to Eurofresh Farms, which grows tomatoes under tightly controlled conditions in massive greenhouses near Willcox.

But the public's perception is that a tomato is a tomato, and all of them, unless the government says otherwise, are tainted, Knipe added.

Fast-food Sonoran hot dog outpost El Guero Canelo, with a location on South 12th Avenue and another on North Oracle Road, is continuing to offer fresh salsa.

"We got the tomatoes from California. We have a letter certifying they are clean. So far it's OK," said Javier Contreras, who manages the Oracle Road location for his brother Daniel, who owns both.

● Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@azstarnet. com or 573-4642.

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