A growing number of health officials fear that investigators made a terrible mistake in blaming tomatoes for the sickening of more than 800 Americans, and they increasingly suspect jalapeno peppers, cilantro or some other food commonly found in Mexican restaurants, health officials involved in the investigation say.
The salmonella outbreak should be petering out if contaminated tomatoes were the cause, because tomatoes have a limited shelf life and many consumers have been avoiding them. Yet, the number of reported cases has continued to grow, and investigators have failed to identify the source.
Admission of a mistake, after consumers across the country shunned tomatoes and the food industry lost up to $250 million, could deepen criticism of a government food safety system that has been attacked for failing to prevent illnesses and deaths resulting from the contamination of a string of products, including peanut butter and bagged spinach, in recent years.
"It's bad, and I think everyone will be very apologetic"if it turns out tomatoes weren't the source, said Tim Jones, Tennessee's state epidemiologist, describing himself as "increasingly concerned"about whether tomatoes are to blame.
The salmonella outbreak should be petering out if contaminated tomatoes were the cause, because tomatoes have a limited shelf life and many consumers have been avoiding them. Yet, the number of reported cases has continued to grow, and investigators have failed to identify the source.
Admission of a mistake, after consumers across the country shunned tomatoes and the food industry lost up to $250 million, could deepen criticism of a government food safety system that has been attacked for failing to prevent illnesses and deaths resulting from the contamination of a string of products, including peanut butter and bagged spinach, in recent years.
"It's bad, and I think everyone will be very apologetic"if it turns out tomatoes weren't the source, said Tim Jones, Tennessee's state epidemiologist, describing himself as "increasingly concerned"about whether tomatoes are to blame.
