The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday gave the all-clear to jalapeno and serrano peppers grown in the United States, revoking its warning issued just two days before that consumers completely avoid the chiles. A grueling investigation into more than 1,300 cases of samonellosis in the U.S. and Canada had officials at first blaming both American and Mexican fresh round red and Roma tomatoes and then chiles. But it now appears that the contamination originated in Mexico with jalapenos.
The FDA continues to urge consumers to avoid raw jalapeno peppers and any foods containing them if the peppers were grown, harvested or packed in Mexico. Also, anyone in a high-risk group--the very young, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems--should avoid raw serrano peppers from Mexico and the foods prepared with them until further notice, the FDA said.
For more information on the salmonella outbreak, visit the FDA here.
TOMALLEY THREAT?
On Monday, the agency warned all consumers against eating the tomalley--the pale green liver--of American (also known as Maine) lobsters. The lobsters may have high levels of a naturally occurring algae contaminated with a toxin that is dangerous to humans. Cooking does not eliminate the threat. The toxin can case Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning, which in extreme cases can be fatal.
The warning applies only to the tomalley, not the lobster meat.
The greatest risk comes from lobsters harvested by amateurs. Commercially harvested lobsters are routinely checked for algae levels.
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