ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Florida's tomato growers want to be cleared of the salmonella stigma.

They're asking the Food and Drug Administration to declare all of the state's tomatoes salmonella-free, not just the current 19 counties. Florida produces almost half of the country's fresh tomato supply, and its growers have been hit hard by the lingering question of the source of the outbreak.

Reggie Brown of the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange says counties yet to be cleared have been out of production for well over two months. He says it's virtually impossible for tomatoes from those counties to be associated with illnesses reported in June or July.

Brown says growers face a tough decision whether to replant next season's crops. He says even worse is a lasting image problem.

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