Foodborne illnesses attributed to salsa and guacamole served in restaurants and delis have more than doubled in the last 10 years -- resulting in over 100 hospitalizations and three deaths, according to the CDC.
A review of foodborne illnesses from 1998 to 2008 found that around one in every 25 cases could be traced back to contaminated salsa or guacamole dished out in restaurants or delis, researchers reported at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta, Ga.
"Possible reasons salsa and guacamole can pose a risk for foodborne illness is that they may not be refrigerated appropriately and are often made in large batches so even a small amount of contamination can affect many customers," Magdalena Kendall, a researcher at the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education and collaborator on the CDC study, said in a prepared statement.
Kendall and colleagues searched all foodborne outbreaks reported to the CDC for those linked to salsa, guacamole, or pico de gallo (a type of salsa) as a confirmed or suspected vehicle, and found 136 outbreaks -- 84% of which could be traced to restaurants and delis.
The incidents accounted for 4.1% of all restaurant-related foodborne illnesses from 1998 to 2008, more than double the 1.6% incidence from 1984 to 1997.
Of the 5,560 salsa or guacamole-related illnesses reported, 33% were attributed to Salmonella, 18% to Norovirus, 15% to Shigella, 10% to other infections, and 24% due to unknown causes. The infections resulted in a combined 145 hospitalizations and three deaths.
Of the outbreaks, 95 were traced to salsa and 36 to guacamole. Reported reasons for contamination included improper storage time or temperature (30%), contamination by food handlers and preparers (20%), and contaminated equipment or cross-contamination.
The raw ingredients used to make the popular condiments -- including tomatoes, hot peppers, and cilantro -- have also been implicated in past outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, Kendall noted.
The study concluded that training materials should be devised for the healthy preparation and storage of salsa and guacamole.
The CDC began collecting data on foodborne illnesses in 1973, but the first recorded incidents related to salsa and guacamole occurred in 1984.