Salmonella Outbreak Likely Over: CDC

Salmonella outbreak prompts cautionary ban on sliced garnish

(NEWSER) - McDonald’s is pulling sliced tomatoes from its sandwiches following a nationwide outbreak of salmonella linked to the fruit. A spokesman was quick to note that the chain has not detected the bacteria in its supplies, “but with an abundance of caution, we want to make sure our food items containing tomatoes are absolutely safe," he told the Chicago Tribune. More»

(NEWSER) - A third of US states do not require testing of the salmonella bacteria involved in reported illnesses, possibly hampering national efforts to identify outbreaks, MSNBC reports. If testing were mandatory, proponents say, a strain’s widespread dissemination could be more quickly identified and the source more easily pinpointed. But states without mandatory testing say their methods are just as effective and more economical. More»

Safety official calls finding 'smoking gun'

(AP) - The salmonella strain linked to a nationwide outbreak has been found in irrigation water and a serrano pepper at a Mexican farm, federal health officials said today. The FDA's food safety chief called the finding a key breakthrough in the case, as did another health official. "We have a smoking gun, it appears," said a CDC director. More»

Salmonella warning is lifted, though investigation continues

(AP) - The US government has declared it's OK to eat tomatoes again, lifting its salmonella warning amid signs that the outbreak, while not over, may finally be slowing. Officials reiterated earlier warnings that the people most at risk of salmonella should avoid hot peppers, particularly jalapenos and serranos. The Food and Drug Administration is sending inspectors to Mexico to investigate a packing house that receives peppers from a number of farms. More»

Feds eye other produce as salmonella source

(NEWSER) - Health officials are looking into produce other than tomatoes as the source of the recent salmonella outbreak, reports the Los Angeles Times. With much of the tomato harvest wrapped up and new cases emerging, the FDA is investigating produce typically served with tomatoes, though officials refuse to say what that other produce might be. More»