Posted on 06/11/2008 6:57:11 PM PDT by LibWhacker
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican growers on Wednesday called a U.S. warning against certain types of their tomatoes unjust, saying it has brought exports to a halt and could cripple Mexico's $900 million industry.
Growers said their produce is subject to double the scrutiny that U.S. tomatoes face: inspected first by Mexican officials and then again at the border when crossing into the U.S.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is still hunting for the source of a salmonella outbreak linked to three types of raw tomatoes that has sickened 167 people in 17 U.S. states since mid-April. It has cleared imports from at least six countries — but not Mexico, which sends 80 percent of its tomato exports to the United States.
As a result, exports here have come to a halt.
"We can't sell a single box of tomatoes," said Jesus Macias, sales manager at the Productora Agricola Industrial del Noreste in the border state of Baja California.
His farm normally ships up to 50,000 boxes of tomatoes a day to an importer in Chula Vista, California — until it stopped buying his produce last week. Macias plans to give his 3,000 laborers an extra day off each week to cut costs as long as the slump continues.
Baja California began its harvest in April and be would the hardest-hit state if the U.S. salmonella scare continues to stem sales.
Macias said he used to sell each 12-kilogram (26-pound) box of tomatoes for $15 in the U.S., but now must sell them in Mexico, where a glut of unexported tomatoes is flooding the market and pushing prices as low as $5 a box.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said 167 people have been identified as having salmonella with the same "genetic fingerprint." At least 23 have been hospitalized.
Salmonella is a bacteria that lives in the intestinal tracts of humans and other animals. The bacteria are usually transmitted to humans by eating foods contaminated with animal feces.
U.S. health officials have presented no proof that the contaminated tomatoes are from Mexico, said Manuel Tarriba, head of the Sinaloa state Tomato Growers Association. No salmonella has been reported in Sinaloa state, Mexico's top tomato producing region, he told Mexico's state news agency, Notimex, on Wednesday.
"Even if Mexico isn't the culprit, the industry has already been affected. We need to change that, because when you send an alarm to consumers, the first thing they do is stop buying," he said.
eff dey dint grow dey tometos in humen poop, den we met feal difrent
Neither do we have ‘proof’ that illegal immigrants are harming us. The correct response would be that the Mexican government is looking for any possible culprits in this, much as the US FDA was doing, not blaming us for being racist Gringos.
Well, there's always bathtub cheese to fall back on.
We’ll see, maybe.
“Macias said he used to sell each 12-kilogram (26-pound) box of tomatoes for $15 in the U.S., but now must sell them in Mexico, where a glut of unexported tomatoes is flooding the market and pushing prices as low as $5 a box.”
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They can adopt that spanish custom and have a tomato-throwing fiesta.
I'm just filled with confidence.
they could radiate them.
that’s where we’re headed.
Lets just send them our “mad cows” that the South Koreans don’t want.
The GD USDA knows the contaminated tomatoes come from Mexico.
But to protect them, the USDA will ruin thousands of USA tomato farmers and distributors.
After all, our relationship with a piss-ant third world nation has higher priority than to our own citizens.
Rot in Hell, Jorge Bush.
Means they will grow more pot instead.
Do I need a sarcasm tag?
i was at mc do’s this afternoon
and they had a stupid box on,
and on the stupid box was lou dobbs yelling inanities at george bush.
dobbs didn’t even make sense.
You misunderstood my comment. I think one of our main problems is the illegals. But to listen to both the Dims, the Repubs, and the current candidates, there is no problem. So extrapolating that we get “no problemo” to the tomato scare.
As far as myopia and bone-crushing stupidity, since when do you even have the intelligence of a cockroach? Or could you even recognize an illegal if you talked to him/her? Maybe you can’t understand English? Or do you only speak pigdin as your primary language and need to get into one of the bilinqual schools so you can drop out? Why don’t you go put your idiotic flaming on somebody who needs it, such as your companion commie, pinko, leftist, democrats?
YIKES how do you really feel!!! by the way I’m in for the whole yard with you on this
You have to realize I am in a mellow mood tonight because of the processed sugar cane I have been drinking. Anyway thanks for the support, now what do we do about trying to fix the world?
Tomato ping.
Things we will never see:
The Loch Ness Monster
Big Foot
The “H” Man
President McCain
A Porta-Potty and sanitary hand washing facilities on Mexican farms
We might see some on your list, but you are right, no Porta-Potty or handwashing on the farms.
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