Tomatoes removed from shelves, just as they were getting yummy

Oh no, one of my favorite fruits in the world (yes, a tomato is a fruit) is being taken off the shelf for fear of salmonella contamination.

Three types of raw tomatoes -- red plum, red Roma and round red tomatoes -- grown in 17 states are voluntarily being pulled of the shelves and menus of McDonald's (NYSE: MCD), Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), Burger King (NYSE: BKC), Kroger (NYSE: KR), Outback Steakhouse, Winn-Dixie (NYSE: WINN) and Taco Bell, among others. In fact, "McDonald's has stopped serving sliced tomatoes on its sandwiches as a precaution, but will continue serving grape tomatoes in its salads because no problems have been linked to that variety."

Similarly, Burger King, Yum Brands Inc. (NYSE: YUM) restaurants, Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI), and Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (NYSE: CMG) have also removed the contaminated brands from their menus across the U.S., and some, like Burger King, in Canada, Puerto Rico and some other Caribbean islands as well. Many left the non-contaminated brands on the menu.

Getting salmonella is not fun. It's a bacteria that lives in the intestinal tracts of humans and most infected people suffer fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps starting 12 to 72 hours after infection and lasting for 4-7 days. The FDA hasn't found the source of the contamination, although it usually means contact with animal feces.

Tomatoes are probably the healthiest thing in many fast food sandwiches and on many menu items, but I guess not when they are contaminated. It's just too bad that this happened in the midst of the "good tomatoes" season. After eating tomatoes that taste and feel like plastic all winter long, it's a treat to have those summery sweet tomatoes. I guess we'll just have to stick to the non-contaminated brands and cooked tomatoes dishes like tomato-based pasta sauces.

Tags: bkc, cmg, dri, inthenews, kr, mcd, salmonella, tomato, tomatoes, winn, wmt, yum