FDA declares it is OK to eat tomatoes again

Published 18 July 2008

The U.S. government has declared it is OK to eat tomatoes again, lifting its salmonella warning amid signs that the outbreak — while not over — may finally be slowing

U.S. officials said yesterday that the end of the salmonella outbreak is in sight, but reiterated
earlier warnings that the people most at risk of salmonella should avoid hot
peppers — jalapenos and serranos. The government still does not know just what
caused the salmonella outbreak, and Thursday’s move does not mean tomatoes are
cleared. Early on, there was good evidence linking them to the sick, but it is
unlikely that any field where tomatoes were harvested in April and May still is
in production. Among later illnesses, however, there seems to be more evidence
against peppers. The FDA is sending inspectors to Mexico to investigate a packing house that receives
peppers from a number of farms.