Washington.- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said tomatoes imported from Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Puerto Rico, as well as those from the Mexican state of Baja California are "safe," but decided to increase inspections for those from another Mexico regions.

The statement comes from an investigation on the origin of a salmonella outbreak that has already sickened almost 300 people, the Government said yesterday.

A total of 277 people have fallen ill in 28 states from eating tainted tomatoes, according to the data from the Centers for Disease Control. At least 43 people have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported.