Officials issue urgent warning as tomatoes recalled over risk of illness or even 'death'

Food poisoning is an absolute nightmare. Even a mild case of it can be extremely uncomfortable, with stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, fevers and diarrhoea being typical symptoms.

It’s typically caused by salmonella or E. Coli, Listeria, and Campylobacter, and in some cases it can be fatal.

The best defence you have against food poisoning is to wash your fruit and vegetables in water before eating them, to ensure your meat is cooked thoroughly, and to use separate chopping boards and utensils for raw meats and other animal products.

The tomatoes were distributed in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia (Mykhailo Hrytsiv / 500px/Getty Images)

Washing meat, however, is not recommended. The water won’t cleanse the meat of any bacteria or parasites, and you’ll splash contaminated water over yourself, sink and surfaces while you do it.

While salmonella is most commonly associated with raw chicken, it can find its way onto vegetables too.

In yet another case of contaminated veg hitting the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided an update on an ongoing tomato recall. Distributed to three states – North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia – the contaminated tomatoes from H&C Farms carry the FDA’s highest warning level.

The potential salmonella contamination risks ‘serious adverse health consequences or death’

Salmonella is a persistent bacterium that can survive on surfaces for weeks in dry conditions and for months in wet ones. The FDA noted that it can survive the freezer and drying-based preservation too.

Affected tomatoes were distributed between April 23rd and 28th 2025 across the three aforementioned states, and were first voluntarily recalled over potential salmonella contamination in early May.

No illnesses had been reported at the time of the recall, according to the FDA, but it has stressed that the risk is severe.

It updated the recall to Class 1 on May 28th, with that classification being described as ‘a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.’

"Illness usually occurs within 12 to 72 hours after eating food that is contaminated with Salmonella, and the symptoms usually last four to seven days," the FDA has explained.

The affected tomatoes (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)

"Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. Children younger than five, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have severe infections."

Salmonella is particularly dangerous to over-65s, children under five, and people with compromised immune systems.

These tomatoes aren’t the only recent example of fresh produce facing a salmonella-related recall in the US. Cucumbers distributed across 15 states faced a recall in May, with at least nine hospitalisations among those affected.