More than 100 new cases of salmonella linked to contaminated tomatoes have been reported in America, bringing the total number of people affected to 383 according to federal health officials. The new cases are reported to be people who contracted the illness weeks ago but whose test results were held up at backlogged laboratories until now.
The Food and Drug Administration has admitted that the ultimate source of the tainted tomatoes many never be traced.
“I know there is a great deal of frustration that the mystery hasn’t been solved,” said Dr David Acheson, the FDA’s associate commissioner on foods. “We’re continuing to work flat-out.”
The FDA claims to have narrowed the most likely sources of the contamination to parts of Mexico and Florida which were the primary suppliers during the time of the outbreak. Its warning to consumers to avoid raw red plum, red Roma and red round tomatoes unless they were grown in a list of “cleared” states remains in place.
