U.S. to Ban Mexican Food Imports in Salmonella Probe, CNN Says By Nancy Kercheval
July 5 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. will ban Mexican imports of ingredients commonly used in foods such as salsa as it seeks the source of a salmonella outbreak, Cable News Network said, citing former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson.
Health inspectors will stop shipments of cilantro, jalapeno peppers, Serrano peppers, scallions and bulb onions from entering the U.S. on July 7, Thompson told CNN. The items will be tested for salmonella and E.coli.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration originally theorized that tomatoes were the source of the salmonella poisoning, which has afflicted 943 people in 40 states, the District of Columbia and Canada, CNN said, citing U.S. Centers for Disease Control statistics.
The outbreak has cost tomato growers about $450 million, Thompson told CNN. He is a partner in Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, according to the law firm's Web site.