FDA still hunting source of salmonella in tomatoes

Andrew Beaugez places creole tomatoes on display at his roadside stand Tuesday, June 10, 2008, in Chalmette, La. With the nation gripped in a tainted tomato scare, Louisiana is just starting to bring in their crop of Creole tomatoes. Tomatoes harvested in Louisiana are not affected by the recent salmonella outbreak and are safe to consume, the Food and Drug Administration said Monday. WASHINGTON -- 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 told reporters Wednesday. The outbreak, which has sickened 167 people in 17 states since April, is not over even though it has been two weeks since... [read full story]