Salsa, Guacamole Hot Culprits in Food Poisoning

ATLANTASalsa and guacamole have been identified as the food culprits responsible for nearly one out of every 25 restaurant-associated foodborne outbreaks between 1998 and 2008. Those rates nearly doubled from the previous decade, according to research released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases.

The report noted that fresh salsa and guacamole, especially those served in retail food establishments, may be important vehicles of foodborne infection because they often contain diced raw produce, including hot peppers, tomatoes and cilantro, which have been implicated in past outbreaks."

Researcher Magdalena Kendall, an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) researcher who collaborated on the CDC study, said possible reasons salsa and guacamole can pose a risk for foodborne illness is that they may not be refrigerated appropriately and often are made in large batches so even a small amount of contamination can affect many customers.

"Awareness that salsa and guacamole can transmit foodborne illness, particularly in restaurants, is key to preventing future outbreaks," she said.

Risk can be lowered by following guidelines for safe preparation and storage of fresh salsa and guacamole to reduce contamination or pathogen growth.

The researchers searched all foodborne outbreaks reported to the CDC for those with salsa, guacamole or pico de gallo as a confirmed or suspected food vehicle and analyzed trends in the proportion of all outbreaks with identified food sources. CDC began surveillance for foodborne disease outbreaks began in 1973; however, no salsa- or guacamole-associated (SGA) outbreaks were reported before 1984. Restaurants and delis were the settings for 84 percent of the 136 SGA outbreaks. SGA outbreaks accounted for 1.5 percent of all food establishment outbreaks from 1984 to 1997. The figure more than doubled to 3.9 percent from 1998 to 2008.

Inappropriate storage times or temperatures were reported in 30 percent of the SGA outbreaks in restaurants or delis and may have contributed to the outbreaks. Food workers were reported as the source of contamination in 20 percent of the restaurant outbreaks.