Salsa and Guacamole: You CAN Dip without Much Risk

You may have read about salsa and guacamole being frequent sources of food-borne  illness in any number of newspapers—the L.A. Times, U.S.A. Today, the Chicago Tribune, and others.  But this announcement doesn’t mean you need to give up eating and serving  what may be your favorite dips.  There are precautions  you can take that greatly reduce the  chances of  consuming contaminated versions of these popular appetizers.

The bad news about salsa and guacamole came  from  a CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) report released at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases.  Here’s what the research revealed:  Between 1998-2008, nearly 1 out of every 25 restaurant-associated food-borne outbreaks with an identifiable source  was traced back to either salsa or guacamole, more than double the rate in the previous decade.  However, note these important facts about  the story: 

- This information was about dips made in restaurants, not the ones you buy in grocery stores.  As FoodSafety.gov explains, “Jarred salsas are usually heated to kill germs that may be present.”  Most of the salsas that caused contamination were freshly prepared and served in restaurants.

- Although the exact source of all the contamination was not known in all cases,  local investigators reported that, in 30% of cases, the products weren’t stored or refrigerated properly; in another 20%, the contamination was traced to food workers.  The other 50% was probably due to ingredients that had been contaminated prior to reaching the restaurant.   According to the CDC, “Salsa and guacamole often contain diced raw produce including hot peppers, tomatoes, and cilantro, each of which has been implicated in past outbreaks.”

Though there is always some risk when consuming raw produce, the information above suggests that the dips you make at home are far less likely to be contaminated, assuming you follow some basic sanitation procedures. Here is the  advice from  FoodSafaety.gov:

- Before and after preparing the dip, wash your hands for 20 seconds with warm water and soap.

- Wash the raw ingredients thoroughly under running water, even ingredients you are going to peel, such as avocado.

- Clean all utensils and counters before and after working with raw produce..

- Keep your dip cool!  Keep it in the refrigerator before serving, and don’t leave it out of the fridge for more than 2 hours.  Reduce that to 1 hour if the temperature is above 90°F.

What about eating  guacamole or salsa in restaurants? FoodSafety.gov doesn’t say, “Absolutely not!”  Instead, the site makes these suggestions: ask to see the restaurant’s health inspection results, and ask if the manager is certified in food safety (which some states or counties require). We’d rather just begin our meal with soup. 

Source(s):

Chicago Tribune, “Salsa and guacamole can carry unhealthy kick, CDC says” July 12, 2010
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-07-12/health/ct-talk-guacamole-cdc-0713-20100712_1_guacamole-salsa-outbreaks 

FoodSafety.gov  “Salsa and Guacamole: Are They Safe?” by Magdalena Kendall
http://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/salsa.html

University of Illinois Extension  “Salsa and Guacamole Increasingly Important Causes of Foodborne Disease”