Over 350 people ill in US salmonella outbreak

More than 350 people are ill due to a salmonella outbreak in the US, according to food safety officials.

The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention claims that at least 383 people in 30 states are infected with salmonella saintpaul, reports Reuters.

It is a rare strain of the illness and has been linked back to tainted raw plum and Roma tomatoes. Investigators are now focusing on the biggest suppliers of tomatoes in Mexico and Florida.

David Acheson, director of food safety for the US Food and Drug Administration, told the news agency that they were studying nine cases which were reported in a single geographical location.

"We may not ultimately know the farm where these came from," he admitted however.

The BBC reports that supermarkets and restaurants across the US have pulled certain types of tomatoes off their shelves.

Fast food chains McDonald's, Burger King and Taco Bell have all stopped serving plum, round or Roma tomatoes.