Hunt continues for source of tainted tomatoes

The search for the source of salmonella-tainted tomatoes drags on, federal officials said Monday, even after they announced several more cases and cleared two more states and part of Mexico over the weekend.

Health experts remain unsure if the outbreak originated at a farm or at a packing station, David Acheson, the Food and Drug Administration’s associate commissioner for foods, told reporters in a conference call Monday.

The rare Saintpaul strain has caused 277 reported infections in 28 states and Washington, D.C., since mid-April and has led to at least 43 hospitalizations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced late Monday.

So far, the FDA has excluded 37 states as the origin of the outbreak and declared tomatoes grown in those regions to be safe to eat. Several areas, including Baja California in Mexico, New Mexico and Indiana, were cleared as potential sources Saturday.

Acheson said a cluster of nine cases, all from the same geographical region and involving similar types of tomatoes, was “the most fruitful lead to date.” Acheson confirmed Friday that the nine people contracted salmonella after eating at two restaurants from the same chain but would not name the chain or the location of the restaurants.

Acheson would not say if the cases are the same nine that the Chicago Department of Public Health identified as salmonella cases linked to tomatoes eaten at a restaurant in May.

The search has begun focusing on southern and central Florida and Mexico, although the FDA said tomato shipments from Mexico and northern Florida are safe if they are accompanied by a certificate from the areas’ respective agriculture departments.

The agency has stepped up its sampling of tomatoes; Acheson said that none of the tested fruit came back positive for salmonella. Williams said the CDC has heard no reports of salmonella infections in Mexico.

Consumers and farmers alike have criticized health officials for the slow pace of the investigation, which the FDA says is unavoidable because of the scope of the outbreak, the shaky memories of victims and the difficulties of tracing tomatoes. Wary shoppers have shunned the fruit, and growers have suffered plunging sales as they destroy stalled shipments of the rapidly ripening produce.

Consumers should continue to steer clear of any fresh Roma, plum or standard round tomatoes from states that have not been cleared, according to the FDA. Any tomatoes with an indeterminate origin should not be eaten. The agency said cherry and grape tomatoes and tomatoes still attached to the vine are fine.

Williams said the outbreak still is classified as ongoing, with the most recent reported illness June 1, so many of the tomatoes harvested during the initial outbreak period have exceeded their shelf life and probably are no longer in circulation.