As you are out enjoying all the yummy food at get-togethers this holiday weekend, it’ll make you feel good to know you don’t have to worry about avoiding peppers or tomatoes anymore – the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the salmonella outbreak that made 1,400 people sick across the country seems to be over.

The CDC says the number of reported cases has been dropping since early July and is now around the usual number of salmonella cases we see this time of year.

An investigation into the outbreak shows jalapeno peppers seemed to be a major carrier of the bacteria, as were serrano peppers. Tomatoes are still a possible source, as well.

The FDA says the contaminated jalapeno and serrano peppers, grown in Mexico, are no longer around, so it lifted its advice to avoid eating raw jalapeno and serrano peppers grown, harvested or packed in Mexico. It also gave the green light last month for us to eat tomatoes again.

Based on confirmed cases, this was the largest foodborne outbreak in the last 10 years.

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Jalapenos are not the only peppers definitely linked to the massive salmonella outbreak. The Food and Drug Administration has found contaminated serrano peppers and irrigation water on a farm in Mexico.

The FDA says we should avoid fresh serrano peppers from Mexico and products made with them. And we still should not eat fresh jalapeno peppers from Mexico, either.

The FDA’s theory is that several foods may be causing the outbreak, which has made 1,319 people sick nationwide since April.

In early June, the FDA believed tomatoes were causing the outbreak and warned us not to eat certain types. Then in July, it said all tomatoes were safe to eat again. But the agency still says tomatoes may have caused some of the illnesses.

Here is a map from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that shows where the outbreak has hit from state to state:

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) narrows its earlier warning on jalapeno peppers as the investigation into the salmonella outbreak continues. The FDA now says to avoid only raw jalapeno peppers from Mexico – it believes the ones grown in the U.S. are not connected to the nearly 1,300 salmonella cases reported since April.

For weeks, tomatoes had been the main suspect in the salmonella illnesses. Those now on the market are considered safe to eat, but health officials say tomatoes may still have made some people sick earlier during this outbreak.

Photo Credit: stock.xchng

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There’s a break in the salmonella investigation – the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says a jalapeno pepper grown in Mexico and processed in Texas has tested positive for the strain of salmonella that has made more than 1,200 people sick over the past few months. But the FDA stresses the case is not closed yet.

While finding the genetic match is important, authorities still don’t know where the pepper became tainted – did it happen on the farm in Mexico… in the plant in McAllen, Texas… or somewhere in between?

Just a few days ago, the FDA lifted its warning on tomatoes, saying it’s okay to eat them again. But investigators say tomatoes still may have caused some of the illnesses.

Because of this latest finding, the FDA says we should avoid eating fresh jalapeño and serrano peppers and foods made with fresh jalapeños. It’s okay to eat pickled and preserved jalapeños.

The outbreak isn’t over yet, but at least it seems to be slowing down – the CDC has confirmed just 14 cases since July 4.

What do you think of all this? Has it changed how you eat?

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It’s okay to eat any type of raw tomato again. After months of concern that tomatoes were linked to the salmonella outbreak, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lifts its alert because the farms that may have shipped tomatoes at the beginning of the outbreak are no longer harvesting them.

But the outbreak is not over – people are still getting sick. 1,220 people in 42 states have gotten sick so far. About 18 percent have been hospitalized.

So, what’s causing the outbreak? There’s no definite answer on that yet. But now food safety officials say there could have been cross-contamination between tomatoes and peppers at packing or washing stations before the foods got to restaurants and grocery stores.

The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are still looking into raw jalape̱o and raw serrano peppers as possible culprits. They are warning people at high risk Рlike the elderly, infants, and those with weak immune systems Рto avoid eating raw jalape̱o and raw serrano peppers.

Anyone else concerned that it’s taking so long to find out what’s causing the outbreak? What a big mess!

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The salmonella outbreak has now made 1,017 people sick, making it the worst foodborne outbreak in at least a decade. And the government is warning, hot peppers may be partly to blame.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says raw plum, Roma, and red round tomatoes are still the main suspects in the outbreak and we still shouldn’t eat them, but it’s also warning people at high risk of getting severely ill from salmonella (the elderly, infants, and those with a weak immune system) to avoid eating raw jalapeño and serrano peppers, too.

Investigators looking into the outbreak found jalapeños caused some of the illnesses. As for serrano peppers, they were included in the warning because they’re hard for a lot of people to tell apart.

The scary thing is the CDC says the outbreak is not showing any signs of slowing down – there have been about 25-40 cases reported every day since the outbreak began April 10, and it’s now hit 41 states (CDC map below).

More confusion – the CDC has found some people who got sick “were more likely to have recently consumed raw tomatoes, fresh jalapeño peppers, and fresh cilantro. These items were commonly, though not always, consumed together, so that study could not determine which item(s) caused the illnesses.”

So… now under investigation – raw tomatoes, jalapeños and serrano peppers, plus fresh cilantro. What a mess.

Photo Credit: stock.xchng

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