Federal food safety officials yesterday cleared Florida’s latest tomato crop as safe to eat, a move that is likely to speed the return of tomatoes to many restaurants.

Florida is the nation’s leading supplier of fresh tomatoes. The Food and Drug Administration decision is also expected to help grocery stores replenish their supplies of Roma, red plum and red round tomatoes, which remain the subject of a nationwide alert. On Saturday the FDA told consumers to avoid the three types of tomatoes grown outside certain areas because they may be the cause of a widening salmonella outbreak.

The outbreak, which involves a rare strain of the bacteria known as Salmonella saintpaul, has spread to 17 states and sickened at least 167 people since mid-April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. Public health officials continue to investigate more potential cases, including ones from early June, said David Acheson, a top FDA food safety official.

The FDA cleared tomatoes now being harvested in Florida because they come from regions where tomatoes were not being picked when the outbreak began. However, investigators have not eliminated the state as a potential source of the outbreak, Acheson said…

Full Story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/10/AR2008061002947.html