Investigators Continue to Track Salmonella Outbreak, 383 Reported Ill

With leads drying up, investigators in the salmonella outbreak offered a frustrated assessment to the press Wednesday:

“We may not ultimately know the farm where these came from.  Some trace-backs that we thought were looking pretty good have been falling apart.”

Discouraged, Dr. David Acheson, the associate commissioner of the FDA, continued, “I’m only trying to be realistic.”

Yesterday brought some optimism in tracking the causes of the outbreak which has sickened a reported 383 individuals nationwide when the Chicago Department of Public Health identified a popular chain restaurant in the city as a source of nine salmonella cases.

Two Adobo Grills, popular Mexican chain restaurants, known for daily fresh ingredients, were cited as unsuspecting proliferators of contaminated produce.

Paul LoDuca, president of DaVinci Group, the management company that operates Adobo Grill, issued a statement:

“Just like the people across the country who have been sickened from eating the contaminated tomatoes, Adobo Grill was an unknowing victim of the problem. When purchasing produce for use at the restaurant, there is no way to know whether it may harbor salmonella bacteria.”

The Chicago Department of Public Health commented on the chain and its management’s compliance:

“The restaurant cooperated fully with the investigation with us, to take steps to ensure that there would be no possibility of any further salmonella spread.”

Although investigators continue to track the exact lines of distribution and packaging responsible for the tainted tomatoes, they have reported Roma, plum and red round tomatoes grown in Mexico and areas of Florida as the afflicted produce.

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