(July 19, 2008)—The nationwide salmonella scare linked to tomatoes and possibly hot peppers has prompted a lot of people to change their grocery habits.
Nearly half the people questioned in a new Associated Press-Ipsos poll say they've stopped buying things they used to because they're afraid of getting sick and more than a-quarter have thrown things out.
Some have switched their produce shopping from supermarkets to farmers' markets, believing locally grown products are safer.
Food safety expert Michael Taylor of George Washington University says shopper concern is having a "very significant" impact on the food business.
Tomato growers alone figure they've lost $100 million because of the salmonella outbreak that sickened more than 1,200 people nationwide, about a third of them in Texas.
Federal health officials gave tomatoes a green light Thursday, but still don't know the source of the outbreak.
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