Canada blocks Mexican pepper importation

Ottawa -- The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has banned the importation of Mexican jalapeno and Serrano peppers pending lab testing for salmonella.

The CFIA said it took the action to prevent the implicated source of a Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak in the United States from entering Canada. The federal agency said shipments found to be contaminated won't be allowed into the Canadian marketplace.

"This action is based on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recent advice to Americans to avoid eating raw jalapeno and raw Serrano peppers and any foods that contain them, if they have been grown, harvested or packed in Mexico," the CFIA said in a statement. "However, commercially canned, pickled and cooked jalapeno and Serrano peppers are not associated with the current Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak. Jalapeno and Serrano peppers grown in Canada and the United States have not been connected with the current Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak in the United States."

The illnesses of five Canadians have been linked to the same strain of salmonella infection associated with the U.S. outbreak. Four of the cases involved individuals who became ill after returning from the United States.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.