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• Previous Story: State Disputes Claims Tainted Tomatoes May Be From Florida
• FDA Tomato Outbreak Overview

ATLANTA -- Food and Drug Administration inspectors are now in Florida checking packing houses and farms in the ongoing investigation into tainted tomatoes.

Over 550 people across the country have now been sickened by salmonella bacteria linked to tomatoes since April.

The FDA said said they've traced the origins from stores and restaurants down the distribution chain to certain farms in Mexico and Florida.

Industry officials said they're surprised Florida wasn't inspected sooner.

The Florida Department of Agriculture said the sooner the inspection is over, the better it will be for the state's multimillion dollar tomato industry.

In the meantime, the FDA is warning people to make sure they eat certain kinds of tomatoes, and tomatoes grown in certain areas.

According to the FDA, raw red plum, red Roma, and red round tomatoes, that were harvested from one of the sources that FDA has identified, are not associated with the outbreak, and are acceptable to eat.

Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, from all sources, and tomatoes grown at home are also not linked to the outbreak and can be eaten.

Shipments of tomatoes harvested in the following Florida counties are acceptable with a certificate issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services:

For more information, visit the FDA Web site.

Consumers who are unsure of where the tomatoes are from that they have in their home are encouraged to contact the store or place of purchase for that information.

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