Cause of 'Sudden Increase in Vomiting' After Eating Cherry Tomatoes Revealed: "Exposure of Specific Varieties to Low Temperatures"

Recently, there have been cases of vomiting and abdominal pain after consuming cherry tomatoes. It is highly likely that the cause is the 'tomatine' compound present in unripe tomatoes.

On the 30th, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety held an emergency meeting with related organizations such as the Chungnam Agricultural Research and Extension Services and nutrition toxicity experts to announce this information.

Tomatine is a substance naturally produced during the growth stage of tomatoes and is naturally broken down during the ripening process. However, it has been suggested that a specific variety of cherry tomatoes (registration number 'HS2106'), which was first released this year, may have produced a toxic amount of tomatine due to exposure to lower temperatures than usual. It is presumed that tomatine remained even after sufficient ripening, causing vomiting and other symptoms.

The Chungnam Agricultural Research and Extension Services analyzed that the average temperature in late January, the harvest season for this variety, was about 3 degrees Celsius lower than usual, causing the tomatoes to grow in low temperatures and produce a large amount of tomatine. Even within the same tomato species, the specific compound content can vary by variety, and this newly released variety combined with colder-than-usual weather resulted in this outcome.

The authorities confirmed that there are no issues with other tomato varieties besides this specific one. There are three farms cultivating the specific tomatoes linked to symptoms such as vomiting. Among them, one farm has already discarded the tomatoes, so they are not distributed in the market.

The government has ordered temporary shipment restrictions and recommended voluntary recalls for the remaining two farms. If evidence is obtained through detailed inspections showing no difference from regular tomatoes, shipments will resume.

The authorities advised not to consume cherry tomatoes if a bitter taste is detected. Vomiting and abdominal pain symptoms may temporarily occur within one hour after consuming tomatoes, but recovery is easy, so there is no need to take anti-vomiting or anti-diarrheal medication.