Salmonella warning on raw tomatoes expanded nationwide

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers nationwide to avoid certain raw tomatoes it suspects in the Salmonella outbreak we've been reporting on in recent days.

The FDA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suspect certain raw red plum, raw red Roma and raw red round tomatoes are responsible for the outbreak, which has caused at least 23 hospitalizations nationwide in recent weeks. The agencies have not yet identified a specific source of the suspect tomatoes.

The FDA says consumers can continue to eat some raw tomatoes including cherry, grape, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, and tomatoes grown at home. In addition, the FDA says consumers can eat tomatoes of any kind from certain states and countries that have not been linked to the outbreak. The agency is featuring an updated list on its Web site of states and countries not yet implicated by the FDA in the outbreak.

The FDA issued its first warning last week, warning consumers in nine states to avoid the suspect tomatoes. The agency expanded the warning to seven additional states over the weekend before expanding it nationwide today.

A growing list of restaurants and stores have been pulling raw tomatoes from their menus and shelves including McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell, Outback Steakhouse, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, KFC, Long John Silver's, Wal-Mart, Kroger, Winn-Dixie, Trader Joe's and Giant Eagle. The list is continuing to expand so consumers may want to check with their local stores or eateries before making a tomato purchase.

FDA is updating a page on its Web site with the latest information on the outbreak.