FDA finds salmonella strain in Mexican jalapeno pepper

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Fresh jalapeno peppers joined tomatoes as possible culprits in the nationwide Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak that has sickened thousands of people and killed two since April, the federal government confirmed Monday.

The same salmonella strain once thought to have originated in raw tomatoes was found in a Mexican-grown jalapeno in a Texas distributing plant, the Food and Drug Administration said Monday, prompting a nationwide warning for consumers to avoid fresh jalapenos and food products made with fresh jalapeno peppers, report Conor L. Sanchez and Jerry Hirsch.

In June, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration angered Mexican farmers when it focused on their tomatoes as the source of salmonella outbreaks in the United States.

Read on about the jalapeno problems here.

-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City