Tomato probe cites 2 sources

The FDA has traced salmonella-tainted tomatoes to Florida and Mexico. (Gregory Bull/Associated Press)

WASHINGTON - US regulators believe that tomatoes grown in Mexico or Florida are the source of a salmonella outbreak associated with 552 illnesses.

The United States is sending investigators to check farms and other points along the supply chain from Mexico and Florida to identify more precisely where the contamination occurred, said David Acheson, the Food and Drug Administration's associate commissioner for foods.

"We have been able to confirm through our trace-back two different potential legs: one that takes us back to farms in Mexico, one that takes us back to farms in Florida," Acheson said yesterday. "It could be anywhere on that distribution chain where all of these tomatoes were together at one point. It could be in a packing shed, it could be in a warehouse at some point where the contamination has occurred."

The number of illnesses increased 169 from the 383 provided by health officials on June 18, according to data presented yesterday by Ian Williams of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, during a conference call. The illnesses occurred in 32 states and Washington, D.C.