You Say Tomato, I Say Embargo

You say tomato, I say embargo.

Or at least that’s what they say in Santa Fe. The New Mexico Environment Department and the New Mexico Department of Health is mandating that “no one buy, eat, sell or serve food containing raw red plum, raw red Roma, or raw red round tomatoes grown and harvested in Mexico or Florida unless cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.”

That’s a lot of qualifiers.

As I write, vigilant New Mexico officials are standing at the state’s border interviewing every last tomato that enters the Land of Enchantment asking where they’ve been, whose fecal matter they’ve been in contact with, and if they have any intentions of causing harm. If they answer any of those questions incorrectly then they will be “embargoed”.

“Embargoed” is probably just a code word for destroyed but you never know.

In all seriousness, this whole salmonella tomato scare is just another example of why the concept of locally grown and sustainable foods is so important. To date over 500 Americans have fallen sick from the tainted tomatoes, 72 in New Mexico alone. It’s essential to know where your foods are coming from so you can feel safe about where you’re going to put them.