Mexican agricultural officials declared Friday that that the country's tomato crop is free of salmonella bacteria.
American investigators have suspected imported Mexican tomatoes and chili peppers in a salmonella outbreak that has sickened more than 1,000 people across the United States.
But Mexico's agriculture ministry said Friday that a two-week study of Mexican tomatoes by its specialists - conducted in tandem with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration - has found the tomato crop to be free of infection.
"It's not possible to accept that the tomato is the cause of infection," a statement from the ministry said. "The scientific evidence clearly shows that the Mexican tomato has no responsibility in the unfortunate public health problem in the United States."
Mexican officials, the statement said, were "demanding" that the FDA recognize the evidence that the Mexican crop is not infected.
