Yes, salsa and guacamole are zesty and chunky — but be forewarned, they could be the culprits behind food-borne illnesses.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report found that 3.9 percent of food-borne outbreaks from 1998 to 2008 in restaurants were confirmed or suspected to be from salsa, guacamole or pico de gallo.
Those 136 reported outbreaks included 12 pathogens such as salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, shigella, hepatitis A and norovirus. Researchers found three deaths associated with the outbreaks.
The analysis did not explore specific explanations for how salsa and guacamole became contaminated, but Dr. Rajal Mody, a medical epidemiologist with the CDC in the division that researches food-borne and environmental diseases, said the existing scientific literature provides some clues.
“Salsa and guacamole are made in large batches,” he said. “Small amounts of contamination can affect lots of servings. There is the potential that salsa and guacamole are not properly refrigerated. And we know salsa and guacamole are often made from diced fresh produce items — tomatoes, cilantro, peppers — which we know have been implicated as sources in past outbreaks.”
Improper storage times and temperatures were reported in about 30 percent of these restaurants, according to the research. In 20 percent of the salsa-and-guacamole-related incidents, the food workers were reported as the source of contamination.
The CDC presented the findings Monday at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases.
