WASHINGTON -- Tomatoes have been linked to an outbreak of Salmonella food poisoning in New Mexico and Texas, and health officials are feverishly working with the produce industry to narrow the source to a specific farm or region as the summer barbecue season heats up.

Produce businesses also are hoping that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration can identify the source -- whether a particular field or handler -- before the tomato market takes a big hit.

National Onion Labs Inc., based in Collins, GA, announced that Yerington, NV-based Peri & Sons Farms has contracted to participate in the NOL Flavor Certification Program. This is the first year that Peri & Sons Farms will be joining the NOL client list.

David Peri of Peri & Sons Farms said in a press release that he has long felt the need for testing onion crops as a guide for growing the best onion possible.

FREEHOLD, NJ -- With the New Jersey spring vegetable deal starting a bit earlier than normal this year, the Super Foodtown here was already featuring a good number of local items the third week in May -- a prelude to summer when this supermarket will be strongly promoting the vast array of items the Garden State has to offer.

The Jersey deal so far is "off to a good start," Vincent Villone, produce supervisor of the Norkus Foodtown Group, said the third week in May. "There are a lot of commodities so far this season."

While not as prominent as strawberries or blueberries in the minds of consumers, raspberries hold a position of note in the berry patch, vying with blackberries for the third spot.

The fragile raspberry tends to have a low yield. Raspberries from California are available from summer through early fall. The Pacific Northwest has raspberries in the late fall and Chile has raspberries in the winter.

(The following information is from a June 2 alert from the Produce Marketing Association.)

U.S. public health authorities have now linked a foodborne illness outbreak to round red and/or Roma/plum tomatoes.

To date, the outbreak, caused by Salmonella saintpaul, has sickened 57 people in Texas and New Mexico from April 23 through June 1.

HAMMONTON, NJ - The season's first "Southern Kiwi" are in the distribution pipeline.

Nick Pacia, owner of A.J. Trucco Inc. in New York, met The Produce News at the Hammonton, NJ, warehouse of Lucca Freezer & Cold Storage Inc. to show this reporter the kiwifruit, which arrived break bulk May 15 at the port of Wilmington in Delaware.

"It's beautiful," Mr. Pacia said of the product. The fruit had "plenty of size," which was mostly in the 30- to 33-size range. "The size profile is very good; much larger than last year. The sugars are beautiful."