Washington, D.C.- There is a huge outcry among tomato growers about how the salmonella scare has been handled.
There may not have been any problem with tomatoes in the first place, it is just not known.
Representative Tim Mahoney is a democratic US Senator from Florida and he is introducing legislation to give shippers and growers nearly $100 million to help them recover from their huge tomato losses.
The outbreak of Salmonella was quickly placed at the doorway of tomatoes, and many different
Types were warned against consumers eating them.
The Agriculture Department agrees that the system of food warning is broken, but that they are working to do the best they can.
So, large amounts of tomato crops sat in warehouses, and literally rotted.
Now investigators want to know why, and the makers of the tomato products and farmers are seeking compensation
As consumers were warned against tomatoes only to have tomato products eventually cleared, many growers are angry and feel they were betrayed by t he US Department of Agriculture, the FDC, and the CDC.
Meanwhile, investigators eventually turned their attention to other forms of produce, including cilantro, and a couple types of peppers.
And the worse thing is, it may never have been tomatoes in the first place, it just is not known for sure.