Tomato growers deserve government compensation Perspective The Palm Beach Post

Tomato growers deserve government compensation

Perspective

The Palm Beach Post
Publication Date: 07/25/08

Florida growers take no consolation from the federal government's announcement last week that all kinds of tomatoes are safe to eat. The damage -- more than $100 million of it -- has been done to sales of the state's crop.

The fear now is that damage might last longer.

Four months ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration pointed to tomatoes as the primary suspect for the salmonella outbreak that was spreading across the country. To date, more than 1,200 people in 42 states have gotten sick from something, but the government can't figure out what. No evidence exists to connect any of the illness with any of the state's produce.

Florida tomato growers correctly blame the FDA for stigmatizing their product without working more closely with the industry early on to trace the problem to its source. It appears that the government jumped to a convenient conclusion under public pressure to come up with an answer -- any answer. Tomato sales have plummeted, and growers have no assurance that things will get better with the next harvest. Some farms may switch to other crops in the fall to avoid the risk of more wasted effort and heavy losses. Consumers figure to take a hit from rising prices, too.

The FDA's inept and irresponsible response to the outbreak cost Florida growers mightily. They want compensation from the government, and they deserve to get it.

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