By ADAM NICHOLS
June 21, 2008
Food detectives said yesterday they're closing in on the source of salmonella-tainted tomatoes that have now sickened more than 552 people.
Investigators believe they have identified farms in Florida and Mexico where the fruit was grown.
They are checking points along the distribution chain where fruits from the farms were stored together in an effort to find where the contamination happened.
"We are looking for the points where all of these tomatoes . . . have all been together," said David Acheson, the FDA's associate commissioner for foods.
He refused to name the farms.
"It could be anywhere on that distribution chain," Acheson said. "It could be in a packing shed, it could be in a warehouse at some point where the contamination has occurred."
