Beat the scourge with local tomatoes

A report in Wednesday's Beaufort Gazette — and in media all over the country this week — noted that tomatoes have been pulled from grocery store shelves and from fast-food and restaurants' burgers, salads and other menu items because of a salmonella outbreak that's spread to 17 states.

A trip to the local fast-food eateries or even to downtown bistros supports the claims: There are no tomatoes on the burgers or in the salads. Earlier this week, you could order a BLT minus the T at Blackstone's Deli and Café downtown.

The scourge, which had sickened 167 people since April, led to the grocers and restaurateurs chucking potentially good stock because of a Food and Drug Administration warning. Many have accused the FDA of not responding quickly or comprehensively enough when food products are suspected to be tainted, but the administration did act swiftly this go-round.

Salmonella in healthy adults can cause severe abdominal pain and diarrhea; it can be fatal in feeble adults and especially in children. No one has died from the tainted tomatoes this year.

While we commend the FDA for the warnings and the food establishments for being proactive, at the same time we have to wonder why they aren't using home-grown tomatoes. After all, South Carolina, and right here in Beaufort County, there is an abundance of fresh produce — especially tomatoes. You can't swing a cat without hitting at least one tomato farm.

It's disheartening to go into a local supermarket and find tomatoes from anywhere else but South Carolina. Add to that peaches, soybeans, corn and even peanuts. Bite into a store-bought peach or tomato, and you'll notice the immediate difference from one bought from a local grower at a farmers market or one of the many roadside stands or farms around the county.

We've known for some time that many local restaurants don't use local shrimp or oysters in their kitchens, which is a shame. It's equally surprising that they wouldn't bother to use locally grown produce, either.

The solution seems easy enough: Head out to the farm this weekend on your way past the grocery stores and pick up a bag or box of homegrown tomatoes from a local farmer or check out the farmers market in Port Royal each Saturday morning to get great regional pickings.

If you want a juicy, red slice of tomato on that burger at your local restaurant or a bag of local vine-ripened tomatoes in your grocer's produce aisle, demand that they stock them.

Or get them yourself.