Jalapeno market sliding

One south Texas handler of Mexican jalapenos told me today the market there had slumped from about $18 to $20 per carton (38-pound net) at the beginning of the week to about $14-15 per carton today. What peppers that have been coming from Mexico are having trouble moving, and buyers are looking to deals in California, Georgia and North Carolina.

He said there are still some jalapenos coming across the border and the FDA is not necessarily stopping every shipment for sampling and the requisite 7-day holding period.

As far as the investigation, the source had heard the lone pepper which sampled positive for salmonella Saintpaul may have come from Michoacan. FDA officials were reportedly looking at all aspects of the market in McAllen where the pepper was found.

Meanwhile, there is also speculation about whether a Monterrey, Mexico distribution center tied to the McAllen, Texas-based Agricola Zaragoza (where the positive pepper sample was taken) may have played a role in the long outbreak.

Meanwhile Reuters has reported FDA is narrowing its advisory to only raw jalapeno peppers from Mexico. The CDC says the latest salmonella illness was reported July 10.