As government agencies spread their warnings last week about possible salmonella poisioning from certain kinds of tomatoes, Southern Arizona’s EuroFresh was receiving a sales boost because its tomatoes aren’t among those targeted.
"We’ve seen short-term demand for greenhouse-grown products going through a period of strong sales," said Dwight Ferguson, chief executive of EuroFresh, which is headquartered in Willcox. "I don’t know what the long-term effects will be."
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There had been 167 confirmed cases of illnesses from tomatoes as of June 11. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have specifically targeted three kinds of raw tomatoes - red plum, Roma and red round - for their recall and said small varieties of tomatoes, such as cherry tomatoes, and tomatoes sold with the vine still attached are not included.
EuroFresh, which distributes nation-wide, sells only large tomatoes on the vine and a smaller tomato called "Bella Bites."
In a statement, the company said it has not had any reports of food-borne illnesses in its 16-year history. EuroFresh is a greenhouse grower controlling the water and nutrients going to its plants making them less susceptible to contaminants that can come from fertilizers.
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