By Michelle Fabio

The economy isn’t looking good anywhere, but tomato growers are slowly getting back in the produce game after the several months-long salmonella scare earlier this year, according to an article in the Bradenton Herald in Florida.

Lower prices are encouraging consumers to come back to tomatoes, which is great for tomato growers, but now they have even more concerns, including food safety and new regulations mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) such as restrictions on soil fumigants that combat pests, diseases, and pathogens.

Tomato growers must also have a buffer zone between treated fields and home and schools.

How low are the prices going? Read the rest of this entry »

By Michelle Fabio

On the surface, dredging and excavating contaminated marine sediments appears to be a smart environmental practice.

However, as reported in the latest issue of Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, research on the New Bedford, Massachusetts harbor shows that polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) used in the area between World War II and the 1970s have shown up on locally grown tomatoes.
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