The number of tomato-borne salmonella infections reached 228 by Thursday from 167 the previous day. The number of U.S. states affected by salmonella outbreak has also jumped to 23, up from Wednesday’s report, which included 17 states.

Salmonella infections were now reported in Florida, Missouri, Georgia, New York, Tennessee and Vermont, chief of the OutbreakNet Team at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, Reuters reports.

The number of hospitalizations caused by salmonella also raised to 25 from 23, as previously reported.

Salmonella infections in the U.S. were linked to red plum, red Roma or round red tomatoes, the FDA said in a statement on its Web site at the end of last week. Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine attached and tomatoes grown at home were declared safe.

As for the exact source of salmonella, this could be a never-ending story. The health officials dealing with the problem give no guaranties that they will ever be able to trace the location from where it all started.

Of course, this is not good news for many retailers and restaurants across the U.S. who have dropped tomatoes from their shelves or from their menus as a precaution to prevent salmonella infections among their customers. The decision is good for customers but, on the other hand, it hurts businesses.

Meanwhile, what is the best thing you can do given the circumstances? Try to keep your pantry tomato-free. Still, if you can’t refrain yourself from tomatoes, don’t forget to deal with them properly.