With Salmonella outbreak over, FDA lifts Mexican pepper advisory
With Salmonella outbreak over, FDA lifts Mexican pepper advisory
WASHINGTON -- The Salmonella outbreak that sickened more than 1,400 people and wreaked havoc on tomato businesses and other segments of the produce industry is over, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.
With the outbreak officially wrapped up, and Mexican-grown Jalapeno and Serrano peppers no longer in the U.S. market, the Food & Drug Administration announced Aug. 28 that it was lifting the advisory that restricted consumers from eating the Mexican-grown Jalapeno and Serrano peppers.
"This outbreak appears to be over," Robert Tauxe, deputy director of CDC's division of foodborne, bacterial and mycotic diseases, said at an Aug. 28 press briefing. As of Aug. 25, 1,442 people have become infected, 286 people hospitalized and two people may have died in the Salmonella saintpaul outbreak that began in April.
Still little is known about what caused the outbreak. A new report by CDC shows that Jalapenos were a major source of infection, followed by Serrano peppers, and that "tomatoes possibly were a source early in the outbreak," said Dr. Tauxe.
Dr. Tauxe told reporters that early epidemiological evidence from Texas and New Mexico pointed to raw tomatoes as the most likely source, but he acknowledged that evidence gathered in July from clusters of people who fell ill at restaurants and ate peppers was based on stronger data.
Earlier studies did not identify salsa and guacamole as possible food items that may have caused the outbreak, he said. If people ill with Salmonella saintpaul had identified salsa and guacamole as foods they had eaten, "attention might have focused on all those ingredients," he added.
David Acheson, FDAs associate commissioner for foods, said that FDA found Salmonella saintpaul on a Serrano pepper sample and in irrigation water on two separate farms in Mexico. But with so few clues, FDA could not say that the farms were responsible for the outbreak.
The agency has completed its field investigation and continues to analyze the data. As a result of intense sampling, FDA also has found other strains of Salmonella on produce items in the United States that have resulted in more than 10 recalls and the addition of 17 Mexican firms on import alerts.
Dr. Acheson said that FDA continues to press Congress for explicit authority to require preventative controls on high-risk foods, such as fresh produce associated with outbreaks. "We also need to develop technologies that can detect" pathogens more quickly in fresh produce, he added. And industry needs to develop a better tracking system.
With the outbreak officially wrapped up, and Mexican-grown Jalapeno and Serrano peppers no longer in the U.S. market, the Food & Drug Administration announced Aug. 28 that it was lifting the advisory that restricted consumers from eating the Mexican-grown Jalapeno and Serrano peppers.
"This outbreak appears to be over," Robert Tauxe, deputy director of CDC's division of foodborne, bacterial and mycotic diseases, said at an Aug. 28 press briefing. As of Aug. 25, 1,442 people have become infected, 286 people hospitalized and two people may have died in the Salmonella saintpaul outbreak that began in April.
Still little is known about what caused the outbreak. A new report by CDC shows that Jalapenos were a major source of infection, followed by Serrano peppers, and that "tomatoes possibly were a source early in the outbreak," said Dr. Tauxe.
Dr. Tauxe told reporters that early epidemiological evidence from Texas and New Mexico pointed to raw tomatoes as the most likely source, but he acknowledged that evidence gathered in July from clusters of people who fell ill at restaurants and ate peppers was based on stronger data.
Earlier studies did not identify salsa and guacamole as possible food items that may have caused the outbreak, he said. If people ill with Salmonella saintpaul had identified salsa and guacamole as foods they had eaten, "attention might have focused on all those ingredients," he added.
David Acheson, FDAs associate commissioner for foods, said that FDA found Salmonella saintpaul on a Serrano pepper sample and in irrigation water on two separate farms in Mexico. But with so few clues, FDA could not say that the farms were responsible for the outbreak.
The agency has completed its field investigation and continues to analyze the data. As a result of intense sampling, FDA also has found other strains of Salmonella on produce items in the United States that have resulted in more than 10 recalls and the addition of 17 Mexican firms on import alerts.
Dr. Acheson said that FDA continues to press Congress for explicit authority to require preventative controls on high-risk foods, such as fresh produce associated with outbreaks. "We also need to develop technologies that can detect" pathogens more quickly in fresh produce, he added. And industry needs to develop a better tracking system.
