If you are a fan of tomatoes (sorry, I am not), rejoice! 
The FDA has just cleared all types of tomatoes in the Salmonella outbreak and is letting consumers know they are safe to eat again.
It appears that the most recent cases of Salmonella infection have occurred in people who ate jalapeno or serrano peppers and not tomatoes. The CDC is investigated some farms and packaging plants in Mexico where the peppers may have come from.
The FDA's warning for people at highest risk for complications from Salmonella infection to avoid raw jalapeno and serrano peppers remains in place.
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The current Salmonella outbreak in the US is continuing despite the CDC's best efforts to identify the source of the infection. This outbreak is caused by a relatively rare strain of bacteria known as Salmonella Saintpaul.
So far, it has been linked to raw red plum, round red and Roma tomatoes and is now the worst Salmonella outbreak in over a decade.
More recently, the CDC has identified that some cases have been linked to raw jalapenos and possibly raw serrano peppers and cilantro. The FDA and CDC are now advising those at high risk for complications from Salmonella to avoid all raw jalapeno and serrano peppers in addition to the implicated tomatoes.
People at highest risk for complications from salmonella include:
- Infants
- Elderly adults
- Anyone with a compromised immune system
To date, there have been 1148 cases of Salmonella Saintpaul confirmed in 42 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. However, because many people who become infected with salmonella never know it, the actual number of cases could be as much as 30 times higher.
So what does this mean for you? We should all still be avoiding raw Roma, red round and red plum tomatoes unless they came from an area that has been cleared by the FDA. If you are in the high risk category (see above), you should also be avoiding raw jalapeno and serrano peppers. It's also important for everyone to keep in mind that these ingredients are often in other products such as salsa and guacamole. If you are served any of these products in a restaurant and you are not sure where they came from, it is best not to consume them.
