The Center for Disease Control released some incredible findings this month–and since then the sun has shown a little less brightly for salsa and guacamole lovers (your humble author not excluded).  According to the CDC, fresh salsas and guacamole are the causes of 1 in 25 foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurants and delis across the United States.  Specifically, of the 136 salsa/guacamole cases reported of foodborne illness outbreaks during a 10 year period, 36 were linked directly to guacamole, 95 to salsa, and the rest to both.  CDC representative, Robert Tauxe, specifically noted that all the cases involved freshly-prepared guacamole and salsas–not commercially packaged products.

Norovirus, which moms tend to call “the 24-hour flu” or “stomach flu,” thrives in environments where cut and porous vegetables (such as avocados, cilantro, peppers, and tomatoes) are left uncovered and poorly refrigerated.  In fact, Tauxe reported that the most common pathogens associated with these outbreaks were norovirus, salmonella, and E.coli, which all cause stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea in various degrees of intensity.

This study, which began in 2008, was originally prompted by an outbreak in St. Paul, MN in which 1,400 people were sickened by contaminated Serrano and jalapeño peppers used in freshly-prepared salsa.   Researchers examined reported restaurant and deli outbreaks from 1998 to 2008 and found that salsa and guacamole contributed to 3.9% of cases–a +200% jump from the previous decade.  Investigators are unsure what specific ingredients are leading to the contamination, but report that due to the varying recipes of salsa and guacamole, it is unwise to depend on the acidity of lemon or lime juice to fight off the growth of foodborne illness.

Micheal Doyle of the University of Georgia’s Center for Food Safety put it best when he said, “Refrigeration is the key to safe salsa.”  We’ll assume he meant guacamole too.

Image Source:  La Fonda Restaurant

Source:  USA Today