You say tomato, and I say forget about it? No way — not any longer — since the Food and Drug Administration has lifted its warning on tomatoes which sprang from America’s ongoing outbreak of salmonella Saintpaul.

Does that mean we’re home free, as far as the threat of bathroom runs spurred by this awful bacterium? No, sadly, it does not. Given the salmonella cases in which tomatoes were served with peppers or other foods, the FDA stills sees a possible link between the digestive-tract bug and jalapeno or Serrano peppers. You probably should add cilantro to that tossed salad of possible culprits, as well.

The FDA now advises people to avoid eating raw jalapeno or Serrano peppers. And young children and the elderly should be especially on the alert, since their immune systems aren’t as strong.Of course, the outbreak of 1,200 reported cases of salmonella also could have been caused by other foods, including meat. No matter what the FDA says today, it’s still a mystery.

As for tomatoes, long thought to be the chief hiding place of the dreaded salmonella, the FDA’s own website did not indicate the agency was lifting the tomato warning as of 5 p.m. Thursday, July 17, though reports on CNN.com and MSNBC indicated otherwise.

Finally — the next day — on a page dated the previous day, the FDA deigned to declare on its own website that it was, indeed, lifting the warning. That doesn’t change the fact that for hours, the FDA’s own website stated information contrary to news reports. I guess the FDA will get the hang of this new-fangled thing called the Internet one day.

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