FDA lifts tomato warning

WASHINGTON, July 17 (UPI) -- U.S. food safety officials Thursday gave the all-clear for all tomatoes, lifting a warning about certain tomatoes linked to a salmonella outbreak.

However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is keeping in place its warning that raw jalapeno and serrano peppers may be linked to the salmonella outbreak associated with certain raw tomatoes, the agency said in a news release.

A recent case control study indicated raw jalapeno and serrano peppers may be linked to illnesses, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a release.

The FDA is advising people in high-risk populations -- elderly persons, infants and people with impaired immune systems -- to avoid eating raw jalapeno and raw serrano peppers.

Since April, 1,220 persons were reported infected with Salmonella Saintpaul in 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada, the FDA said. The source of the outbreak remains unknown.