Tomato recall affects local farmers, roadside stands

The salmonella outbreak across the country continues, and it’s causing restaurants to “hold the tomato” on their orders.

Lots of fast food spots including McDonalds and Taco Bell have already pulled their tomatoes.

This, after a nationwide salmonella scare that has affected at least 100 people in 16 states.

The impact of that recall is even hitting local roadside stands.

While some farmers say they’re keeping tomatoes stocked, some others are pulling them off the shelves and packing them up.

Dan Bullard spends most of his days on the side of Highway 76, selling everything from sweet potatoes to peaches.

What you won’t find come Wednesday though, are tomatoes.

“I know we’re gonna sell today and that’s all we’re selling until probably next week or the week after that…then local tomatoes will come in,“ said Bullard.

Because of the tomato recall, Bullard says he’ll have to pull his entire supply.

He says even though his produce is fairly local, the general public now has a fear of just what might come along with a bite of tomato.

“It hurts the business undoubtedly because the last few days they hadn’t bought as many,“ said Bullard.

Bullard grows some of the crops he sells, but says he also buys some of them from local farmers.

And though he insists his product is safe, he also understands that in a time of a tomato recall the stuff probably won’t fly off the shelves.

“I eat them everyday and other people do too cause a lot of local people buy them and there’s nothing wrong with these but like you says you hear all kinds of things and when I hear something like that, I quit with them,“ said Bullard.

For now, Bullard will concentrate his efforts on his packs of potatoes and may even try his luck with watermelon.

But he says until the recall’s over and the public is no longer afraid he’ll stay out of the tomato business.

The Food and Drug Administration says it’s working to trace the source of the salmonella outbreak.