U.S. tomato-linked salmonella illnesses surpass 800

By Georgina Coolidge

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of people sickened in a salmonella outbreak linked to certain tomatoes has topped 800 as U.S. investigators continue to try to pinpoint the source of the contamination.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday at least 810 people in 36 states and the District of Columbia have gotten sick after eating tomatoes.

CDC officials said this is the largest salmonella outbreak connected to produce.

Investigators and scientists looking at possible points of contamination along distribution and packing chains have tested approximately 1,700 samples, primarily tomatoes, and all of them have come back negative, Dr. David Acheson, associate commissioner for foods at the Food and Drug Administration, told reporters.

"It isn't over yet and we don't have all the answers," he said.

Investigators will continue to collect water and other environmental samples for testing and conduct tests in food-handling facilities.

One trend that officials have come across during their investigation, Acheson said, is a high rate of repackaging in the industry.

Acheson said the FDA has heard from professionals in the industry that as many as 90 percent of tomatoes may be repacked. This is due often to consumer requests for certain sizes of tomatoes. Suppliers or distributors will many times go through different boxes of tomatoes and repackage them together to fit customer requests, Acheson said.