TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Florida tomato growers want compensation from the federal government for millions of dollars lost because of an investigation that originally focused on raw tomatoes after a salmonella outbreak in parts of the country.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson heads to Washington next week to seek changes in the investigatory process so an entire industry is not unnecessarily tainted.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspected Florida tomatoes in June and found no problems, but the investigation temporarily killed the market for fresh tomatoes.

Bronson's agency says that while public safety is the top priority, the state must look out for growers so adversely affected by the investigation.


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