Washington, D.C.- As the specific cause for the current Salmonella outbreak continues to evade health investigators there is a lot of confusion on the part of the public.
First tomatoes in California and Florida were declared suspect and off limits. Then they were cleared. Then it was only certain types of tomatoes were off limits.
With the spread of the Salmonella disease continuing, the health officials in the United States are not any closer today to the cause of the disease than they were several weeks ago, but the level of confusion among the American public is high.
The Federal Food and Drug Administration is very frustrated, as they continue their investigations they are not any closer to an answer as to where the contamination of tomatoes has occurred.
Contamination can occur in the handling, processing or shipping, or it may have occurred where the tomatoes were grown, it is not known.
What is known is that people throughout the United States continue to fall ill to the Saint Paul variety of Salmonella, and while no one has died from the disease, it has put dozens of the affected into the hospital with serious complications.
The investigation continues, but the only information is that cherry tomatoes, or that tomatoes with the vine attached are not at risk.
The illness has given a boost to the Organic food movement, which has used the disease to push their product and maintain that their organic grown food is safe.