The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Class I recall, the most serious designation, for tomatoes potentially containing deadly bacteria. Class I recalls indicate a potential for “serious adverse health consequences or death.” Williams Farms Repack LLC recalled multiple tomato sizes due to potential salmonella contamination. The FDA updated the recall to Class I designation on Wednesday. Williams Farms Repack LLC Recalls Tomatoes Due to Possible Salmonella Contamination https://t.co/VZrbo0NEfQ pic.twitter.com/whsBY5IZTD — U.S. FDA Recalls (@FDArecalls) May 2, 2025 Daily Mail reports: The recall covers shipments from April 23 to April 28 sold in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Affected products were sold in the following packaging formats: 5×6 25lb, 6×6 25lb, Combo 25lb, 4×4 2layer, 4×5 2layer, 60ct 2layer, 60ct 18lb loose, XL 18lb Loose and 3ct trays with UPC 0 33383 65504 8. The lot numbers are R4467 and R4470. No illnesses have been reported, but salmonella can cause serious and fatal illnesses in young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems. “Salmonella an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain,” the FDA wrote. “In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis,” it added. FDA issues most serious recall alert for tomatoes that carry 'reasonable risk of DEATH' https://t.co/u6KiNdN5F4 — Daily Mail US (@Daily_MailUS) May 29, 2025 Per Newsweek: Jeongmin Song, professor of microbiology & immunology at Cornell University, New York, previously told Newsweek: “Generally speaking, picking and packaging produce at the farm and the facility can result in food contamination. Some potential causes include polluted fertilizers and fomites at the packing facilities, while there are many plausible explanations. Although food and facility contaminations, such as the recent cases, do occur occasionally, they are uncommon in the U.S. and other developed countries owing to strict hygiene standards.” She added: “Healthy individuals with robust immune systems can recover from a Salmonella infection even after consumption. However, some vulnerable groups, such as young children, the elderly, or those with weakened immune systems, would be at risk from contaminated products. Even if there was Salmonella on the tomatoes, most contaminated bacteria can be eliminated by washing them before consumption.” The Food and Drug Administration said on its website: “When a company announces a recall, market withdrawal, or safety alert, the FDA posts the company’s announcement as a public service. FDA does not endorse either the product or the company.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance on salmonella said: “In some people, the illness may be so severe that the patient is hospitalized. Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the bloodstream and then to other parts of the body.”