US Food and Drug Administration on Friday recommended consumers avoid only raw jalapeno peppers coming from Mexico, thus clearing those cultivated in the US. Earlier in the week, the health agency issued a warning according to which all jalapeno peppers were believed to be linked to the approximately 1,300 salmonella cases registered since April.

“Domestically grown products are not tracing back at all to the outbreak. On Monday, we didn’t know exactly where they all were coming from. Today, we’re certain these are coming from Mexico,” Dr. David Acheson, the FDA’s associate commissioner for foods, said on Friday.

Last week, the FDA announced it had finally found a Mexico-grown jalapeño pepper with the Saintpaul strain of salmonella. The discovery occurred at Agricola Zaragoza, a distributor in McAllen, Texas.

The salmonella outbreak has sickened so far 1,294 people in 43 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. Some 242 people have been hospitalized. US health officials initially blamed tomatoes for the outbreak, but the products were cleared last week, making hundreds of tomato growers and retailers request to be compensated on their losses. It is estimated that tomato-related industry losses have amounted to no less than $250 million. However, tomatoes were not at all exonerated, Dr. Ian Williams of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The warning given on Friday prompted negative remarks from behalf of Marco Antonio Sifuentes, representative for the Mexican agriculture ministry who said the FDA gave no scientific evidence to prove that the tainted jalapenos originated in Mexico, thus repeating the mistake it had done with tomatoes.

“In the case of tomatoes, the FDA made a serious error. Now they are committing another big mistake because of their incompetence,” he said.

Also, Mexico's National Sanitation and Farm Food Quality Service director Enrique Sanchez said Mexico officials sent a letter to the US on Friday expressing their concern and “most forceful complaint against this decision,” which “will harm Mexico enormously.”

Whether or not FDA officials are right in blaming Mexico jalapenos for the salmonella outbreak, it remains to be seen. Nothing is for sure, but Mexican authorities seek to take action if the salmonella probe proves they were wrongly accused.