FDA still seeks source of salmonella in tomatoes

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials haven’t yet traced the source of salmonella-tainted tomatoes but, amid an outcry from farmers, are clearing innocent crops as fast as possible.

“We’re getting very close” to identifying the outbreak’s source, Dr. David Acheson of the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.

The outbreak, which has sickened 167 people in 17 states since April, is not over but it has been two weeks since the last confirmed case of illness, said Dr. Ian Williams of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The FDA warned consumers against eating raw red plum, red Roma or round tomates. Grape and cherry tomatoes or tomatoes attached to the vine aren’t linked to the illnesses.