Fresh-market tomatoes are a popular commodity in homes and food service around the world. Because fresh-market tomatoes are intended to be consumed raw, there is no "kill-step" to eliminate pathogens in the event that tomatoes become contaminated (Maitland et al. 2011). Public health officials often meet numerous challenges when conducting traceback investigations of produce outbreaks. Fresh produce items have often reached the end of their shelf life by the time they have been linked to an outbreak; obtaining samples from these items is difficult because these items have typically been consumed or discarded (Lynch et al. 2009). It can be difficult for public health officials to determine where the implicated food was produced and prepared. As a consequence, the challenges of recognizing unusual food vehicles, such as specific lots of fresh produce, can delay the foodborne outbreak investigation (Lynch et al. 2009). The number of sporadic (i.e., isolated) illnesses linked to the consumption of contaminated fresh fruits and vegetables is unknown (Heaton and Jones 2008).

This document is intended to serve as a reference for everyone interested in the safety of fresh-market tomatoes by providing a comprehensive list of tomato-related outbreaks in the United States. Three tables are presented below, which include foodborne outbreaks where tomatoes were i) confirmed as the food vehicle (Table 1), ii) part of a complex food vehicle (Table 2), and iii) suspected, but not confirmed, as the food vehicle (Table 3). Of 38 outbreaks linked to fresh tomatoes in the United States since 1990, 4,028 illnesses and four deaths are reported (Table 1). Salmonella sp. was confirmed as the causative agent in 30 of 38 outbreaks linked to fresh tomatoes (Table 1).