The evidence is far greater than it was for tomatoes.
No contaminated tomatoes were ever found, but
one whole jalapeno was 100% contaminated!

The main FDA web site was updated late yesterday.

http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced
today that one jalapeno pepper sample is a positive
genetic match with the Salmonella Saintpaul strain
causing the current Salmonella outbreak.

The positive sample was obtained during an FDA
inspection at a produce distribution center in
McAllen, Texas. The pepper was grown on a farm
in Mexico, however, that does not mean that the
pepper was contaminated in Mexico.

The produce distribution center, Agricola Zaragoza,
is working with FDA to voluntarily recall jalapeno
peppers the company distributed since June 30, 2008.

Since a recall will not immediately remove all
potentially contaminated peppers from the food
supply, FDA is also asking consumers to avoid
eating raw jalapeno peppers or foods made from
raw jalapeno peppers until further notice in order
to prevent additional cases of illness. This
recommendation does not include cooked or pickled
jalapeno peppers.

FDA is continuing to advise that people in high
risk populations, such as elderly persons, infants
and people with impaired immune systems, avoid
eating raw serrano peppers or food made from raw
serrano peppers until further notice..

Discovery of the positive jalapeno pepper sample
was the result of several weeks of investigation
by FDA scientists and field staff –
including examining traceback data from the
locations where there were clusters of food-borne
illness, scrutinizing distribution records and
collecting environmental samples from water, soil,
work surfaces and packing boxes throughout the
entire chain of production and distribution.

FDA is continuing to investigate the other parts
of the distribution chain to determine if there
is any evidence that the contamination occurred
on the farm in which the pepper was grown or at
some other point in the supply chain before the
distribution center in McAllen, TX.

According to the CDC, 1,251 persons with Salmonella
Saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprint have
been identified in 43 states, the District of
Columbia and Canada since April 2008.