Tomatoes going back on the menu
9 SICK HERE | Fast-food chains say they're safe
Restaurant companies are rolling tomatoes back into their stores, as health officials investigate an outbreak of salmonella cases, including nine in the Chicago area.
The Food and Drug Administration has linked the outbreak that sickened 277 people across the country to a crop of tomatoes. Restaurant chains had pulled tomatoes from their sandwich topping offerings.
McDonald's Corp. began bringing sliced tomatoes back Tuesday, said Bill Whitman, spokesman for the Oak Brook-based hamburger chain's U.S. operations. None of the McDonald's restaurants were connected to the illnesses, he said.
Health officials have linked the outbreak to raw plum, Roma and round tomatoes, and declared produce from California, northern Florida and Baja, Mexico safe to eat.
Wendy's International Inc. began restocking restaurants Sunday with tomatoes from northern Florida. Yum Brands Inc. -- parent of Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut -- said it has started to resupply its restaurants with tomatoes from areas that have been cleared of salmonella risk. Burger King started restocking its restaurants with tomatoes last week.
Chicago-based Potbelly Sandwich Works is keeping tomatoes off sandwiches for a while, CEO Bryant Keil said.
"Life's too short to take risks like that," he said. "So, no tomatoes until the FDA says it's a healthy thing."
The chain still serves salads with cherry tomatoes.