The U.S. Food and Drug Administration lifted its advisory Aug. 28 for consumers to avoid eating jalapeno and serrano peppers grown in Mexico. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also announced that the outbreak of salmonella saintpaul appears to be over.

A CDC official reported that the number of reported salmonella cases has been dropping since early July, and the number of cases being reported now is typical for this time of year. The FDA has completed its field investigation in Mexico and is analyzing the data gathered. The agency has not determined the source of the contamination

For more details, visit the Web sites for the CDC and FDA.

Rep. Tim Mahoney (D-Palm Beach Gardens) introduced a bill in July that would compensate tomato growers and packers for the $100 million in losses they incurred by tomatoes being implicated as a cause of the outbreak.

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