Expert: Carol Schlitt - 10/1/2007

Question
Hi I made a tomatoe sauce last night and my husband forgot to put it in the refrigerator when cleaning up.  It does not have meat in it and is primarily tomatoes, and spices.  It has been out for over 12 hours.  Can we still eat this?

Thanks,

Heather

Answer
Hi Heather,

Unfortunately, the recommendation is that cooked carbohydrates (tomato sauce fits into this category) should not be consumed if they have been at room temperature over 2 hours.  Even though vegetables are less likely to cause food borne illness problems than meat products, they are capable of supporting the growth of bacteria that can cause illness. Unfortunately, some of the bacteria can produce a toxin that is not deactivated by heat. Thus the recommendation not to consume potentially hazardous foods that have been at ideal temperatures for bacterial growth for more than 2 hours.

Sorry...

Carol