Mexico protests U.S. tomato salmonella warnings

"Mexican growers and their government on Wednesday called a U.S. warning against certain types of their tomatoes unjust, saying it has brought exports to a halt and could cripple Mexico's $900 million industry," writes the Associated Press.

Growers said their produce is subject to double the scrutiny that U.S. tomatoes face: inspected first by Mexican officials and then again at the border when crossing into the U.S."

"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is still hunting for the source of a salmonella outbreak linked to three types of raw tomatoes that has sickened 167 people in 17 U.S. states since mid-April. It has cleared imports from at least six countries -- but not Mexico, which sends 80 percent of its tomato exports to the United States."

" 'This action, which has no scientific basis, is excluding exports of Mexican tomatoes from the U.S. market,'  Mexico's Agriculture Department said in a statement. 'The FDA's unjust action is causing severe damage to Mexico's tomato industry, which provides thousands of jobs.' "

Photo: Workers separate tomatoes at the sprawling Central de Abastos market in Mexico City.  Credit: Gregory Bull, Associated Press

-- Reed Johnson in Mexico City