By Justin Blum and Catherine Larkin

Tomatoes sold in the U.S. are safe to eat again, according to the Food and Drug Administration, which lifted its warning about the risk of salmonella contamination.

It's ``highly unlikely'' that raw tomatoes implicated in a nationwide outbreak of salmonella are still on the market, said David Acheson, the FDA's associate commissioner for foods, on a conference call today with reporters. At least 1,220 people have become infected since mid-April, including 224 who required hospitalization, according to government data.

Health officials still don't know the cause of the outbreak and say it continues. While tomatoes from Florida and Mexico may have caused illnesses, the FDA is shifting its focus to jalapeno and serrano peppers that also appear to have contributed to some recent infections and may still be on the market, Acheson said. Investigators are being sent to a packing facility in Mexico that handles both types of peppers.

``This is not saying that anybody was absolved,'' Acheson said. ``What we're saying right now is informing consumers that tomatoes that are currently in stores and coming on to the market -- domestic and imported -- are OK.''

The FDA has tested produce, farms and warehouses and hasn't found evidence of the strain of salmonella associated with the illnesses, Acheson said. The government may never determine whether tomatoes were the cause, he said.

A warning not to eat raw plum, Roma or round tomatoes from certain states was issued June 7 after initial studies of illnesses suggested they were to blame.

The FDA expanded the warning last week, saying the elderly and people with compromised immune systems shouldn't eat raw jalapeno and serrano peppers. The caution on peppers remains in effect.

Fewer Cases

The number of cases of salmonella reported each day appears to be declining, said Robert Tauxe, deputy director of the division of foodborne, bacterial and mycotic diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, during the conference call.

About 20 or 30 new cases of salmonella are being reported each day, and the most recently reported illness began on July 4. There is often a lag of more than two weeks before cases are confirmed.

``Although it appears that the outbreak is ongoing and we do not have evidence that its over, it does appear to have decreased in intensity beginning in mid-June,'' Tauxe said.

The FDA and CDC are considering whether more than one type of produce may be to blame, Tauxe and Acheson said. Initial studies showed a link to tomatoes, and more recent studies have implicated peppers, according to the CDC.

Packing, Washing

``There are certainly scenarios where we could have started with one type of produce and shifted to another if there was contamination in a packing shed or a washing station where two types of produce were going through,'' Acheson said. ``So it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that the contamination has moved from one type of produce to another.''

The Florida Tomato Growers Exchange, a cooperative based in Maitland, welcomed the FDA's announcement today. The group sent Acheson a letter yesterday, posted on its Web site, calling for the FDA's consumer advice to be revised.

``The prolonged investigation has caused serious supply chain disruption and massive economic losses to the entire North American tomato industry,'' said Reginald Brown, executive vice president of the group, in the letter.

`Inexcusable'

Representative Diana DeGette, a Colorado Democrat, said today that it's ``inexcusable'' the government hasn't found the source of contamination. DeGette is backing legislation to require that companies in the food supply chain keep records showing the origin of their products.

``It is absolutely outrageous that we are 90 days into the salmonella outbreak and the FDA and CDC still cannot determine the source of contamination,'' DeGette said in a statement. ``An effective traceback system would allow us to quickly identify the source of the contamination, while protecting our producers, growers, and distributors whose industries are being devastated.''