US Jalapeños Are A-OK: FDA

Only jalapeño peppers grown in Mexico seem to be implicated in the nationwide salmonella outbreak, the FDA said today in clearing the US crop. Consumers should avoid raw Mexican jalapenos, the serrano peppers often confused with them, and dishes made with them such as fresh salsa, the agency said. But how consumers would know where they from is unclear.

"You're going to have to ask the person you're buying it from," said the FDA's food safety chief, who is advising restaurants and grocery stores to know their suppliers. "Domestically grown products are not tracing back at all to the outbreak." Chiles are a $500 million crop just in New Mexico, which produces most of the US supply.