Published On: Thu, Oct 10th, 2019

Troubling Virus Detected Among Imported Tomatoes and Peppers

A great deal of America’s produce is often imported from many countries, making exposure to foreign viruses more likely.

On Wednesday, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced their concerns for a threatening agricultural virus detected among tomatoes and peppers imported from Mexico.

Nikki Fried, State Agricultural Commissioner, told WPTV that inspectors reported findings of tomato brown rugs fruit virus.

This virus is otherwise known as ToBRFV and is spread through plant-to-plant contact.

The tomatoes were destroyed following the severity of this discovery.

The virus is said to be more threatening to young plants and can lead to a 30 to 70 percent yield loss.

The Department of Agriculture assures citizens that the virus is no threat to humans and safe for human consumption. However, it does pose a significant threat to other produce quality.

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