Tomatoes, jalapenos, Serranos - what's next?

July 31, 10:43 AMDenver Health ExaminerDonna Feldman

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First tomatoes, then jalapenos, now serranos.  What will the FDA blame next for the never-ending Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak?  The Serrano pepper link was discovered when both peppers and irrigation water on a farm in Mexico tested positive for this specific strain of Salmonella.  Dr. Lonnie King of the CDC calls it the “smoking gun”.  Consumers are advised to avoid raw Serrano and jalapeno peppers from Mexico, and any foods made with these.

Until now, contamination had not been localized to any source.  This made containment of the infection difficult,  and the FDA resorted to blanket warnings against tomatoes, then jalapenos, cilantro and now Serranos.  A new FDA Statement says that jalapeno and Serrano peppers, grown in the US are not contaminated and are safe to eat, as are commercially canned, or cooked or pickled peppers.  Domestically grown tomatoes are also OK.

So now it’s up to your local grocery store or restaurant supplier to identify domestic sources for tomatoes and peppers they sell.  Assuming stores can accomplish that, you can feel safe buying these again.  At least for now.  As for produce in farmers’ markets, if it’s domestic it’s officially safe, unless some new contamination is discovered.   Produce at a farmers’ market is not guaranteed to be safe, since other kinds of contamination are theoretically possible.

Both Serrano and jalapeno peppers are hot, and would likely have been used to prepare fresh salsas or other vegetable and salad items where hot flavorings are necessary.  Mexican, Indian and Asian cuisines are known for hot, spicy dishes. So far, mild chilis, like Hatch or Anaheim, have not been associated with any disease outbreaks.