The first large multistate Salmonella outbreaks related to tomato
consumption were reported back in 1990 (Hedberg et al.,1999). The
tomato contamination source implicated in at least two outbreaks,
involving Salmonella Javiana and Salmonella Montevideo, was
traced to tomato packinghouses (CDC, 2005). Results of a study
done by Allen, Warren, Archer, Sargent, and Schneider (2005)
indicated that Salmonella can survive on tomato surfaces and
packing line surfaces under common environmental conditions.