Almost a week after discovering a nationwide salmonella outbreak was caused by jalapeńos and not tomatoes, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has narrowed down its warning to Mexico-grown peppers only.

In a statement released Friday, the FDA said jalapeńo and serrano peppers grown in the United States are not connected with the current salmonella saintpaul outbreak and that only Mexico-grown produce should be avoided

The HEB grocery chain is removing from its shelves all fresh jalapenos, pico de gallo and other items prepared with raw jalapenos following the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) warning that the peppers might be linked to salmonella.

The voluntary recall by the Texas-based grocery store chain was ordered as a precaution after FDA officials found a strain of salmonella in a Mexican-grown jalapeno in a Texas food processing plant

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspectors found the salmonella strain linked to a nationwide food poisoning outbreak in a Mexican jalapeno pepper at a Texas produce distribution plant on Monday.

Agricola Zaragoza Inc., owner of the plant, decided to recall fresh jalapenos it distributed after one tested positive for the salmonella Saintpaul, which has sickened 1,251 people in 43 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada since April. Two died from the poisoning

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared Thursday that raw tomatoes in fields and stores are safe to eat.

However, the federal agency did not lift its warning that raw hot peppers may infect the elderly and those with weak immune system with salmonella

Mexican authorities have brushed aside suspicions that tomatoes grown in Mexico caused the food poisoning outbreak in the U.S. and Canada, citing tests on local tomato farms that yielded no salmonella.

Mexico's agriculture ministry also urged Friday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to recognize the results of its two-week study on Mexican tomato farms and clear Mexican tomatoes of suspicions of being infected with the bacteria