Salmonella probe shifts to jalapeno peppers

Officials close to the investigation told CNN, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Saturday was preparing to halt Mexican shipments of jalapenos and other ingredients commonly used in the making of salsa, beginning Monday. Also on the blacklist will be Mexican cilantro, Serrano peppers, scallions and bulb onions.

Some 1,000 people have been sickened by the salmonella outbreak since April 10, the Centers for Disease Control said. CDC officials initially blamed tomatoes, possibly from Mexico or southern Florida, for the illnesses. But the outbreak continued to spread, so now blame has increasingly shifted to ingredients commonly found in fresh salsa prepared in restaurants, The Wall Street Journal reported, adding that processed and canned salsa found in grocery stores were not suspected.

Lola Russell, a CDC spokesperson, would not confirm or deny to the Journal that jalapeno peppers have emerged as a prime suspect.

Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human ServicesTommy Thompson told CNN the investigation has indeed shifted to jalapenos and salsa ingredients.