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Salsa, guacamole can carry an unhealthy kick, CDC says
Uh oh, salsa and guacamole lovers. Sure these two condiments are zesty and chunky – but be forewarned, they could be the culprits behind foodborne illnesses. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report found that 3.9 percent of foodborne outbreaks from 1998 to 2008 in restaurants were confirmed or suspected to be from salsa, guacamole or pico de gallo. These 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 reasons how salsa and guacamole became contaminated, but Dr. Rajal Mody, a medical epidemiologist with the CDC in the division that researches foodborne 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 these salsa-and-guacamole-related incidents, the food workers were reported as the source of contamination. Consumers who want to minimize risks should see whether the restaurant posts their environmental inspection score, Mody suggested. “Ideally, our work here generates some interest in safe handling of salsa and guacamole,” he said. “Just like in a restaurant kitchen, people making salsa at home should follow good safety practices. It’s pretty basic. Clean your food, separate it as you prepare it, cook it and chill.” The CDC presented these findings Monday at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases.
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Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love. Recent Comments
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What happened to 2009 & 2010???? Scientific literature Provides some clues????? Did not explore specific reasons how salsa & guacamole became contaminated???? What findings did they present????? Why should we give attention to this??
2008 is very recent in terms of epidemiological studies. 2009 and 2010 are too recent to be pushed through the publication and peer review process. I believe the article did summarize how these food sources are contaminated: They are made in large batches and are not well temperature controlled. You should probably not give any attention to this unless you work in medicine. It is however important for the many of us who do, especially when we can tighten our community observations/standards on restaurants that prepare these items. It has the potential to save lives and money.
THAT OTHER MEDICAL SCIENTIST SCHOOLED YOU!! I BET YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT EPIDEMIOLOGY IS
Tell me... does 4 question marks somehow mean the question is deeper or more important than if you just used 1?(???)
OMG??????? Love question marks much??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
hey madison,
im from uc berkeley too !! Congrats on the job..looks like you're doing really well !!
Make your own salsa and guacamole. Then you will know that someone didn't poop and not wash their hands.
couldn't have said it better myself.
Ain't that the truth!
The outbreaks are not from *people* they are from your factory farms namely cattle whose waste runoff gets in to the water systems and vegetable fields. If we had proper management of animal waste and healthier conditions for the animals we would not be dealing with this.
Absolutely. It's the barely literate kitchen staff who could truly care less about hygiene. Not only do they not wash after number 2, toilet paper is merely an afterthought, what with all that excrement caked under their finger nails. Damn!, all this typing is making me hungry.
First of all, we don't know what the contaminant is. Most likely it came from the beef, not from people, so don't start showing off your xenophobia. As long as we Americans like our cheap meat we're going to have highly contaminated beef because of the way they house and feed the cattle. They're allowed to stand belly deep in their own filth, eating nothing but grain, which creates ulcers in their digestive tract and fosters massive amounts of e coli. The cattle would die from this treatment if they weren't slaughtered at a tender age for their meat. Their waste is washed out into streams and irrigation corridors, polluting and contaminating nearby farms that grow your cheap spinach, strawberries, and lettuce. Contaminated meat makes it to market ALL THE TIME and all the USDA says is to wash your hands and cook it thoroughly. It's a wonder people aren't sickened all the time from it.
If a restaurant has a health rating above a C, it's just not authentic.
Wow....3.9% of food born outbreaks from condiments which are frequently left outside of a temperature controlled environment.........looks like the CDC is wasting our tax dollars if this is the most important thing they could come up with to present....Gimme a break
That's probably why you do not work for the CDC. 3.9% is an enormous number when you consider it is a national measurement. The potential for progress here is great. When you consider other great scourges we spend tax payer money on present even less morbidity and mortality it should become clear to you that the CDC is doing what it is supposed to do. SHould we abandon AIDS research because you think that since it only affects less than 3% of the population it isn't worthwhile?
I'm pretty sure they were referring to 3.9% of food borne outbreaks not 3.9% of the population.
136 reported outbreaks in 10 years, whooaaaaa! Watch out now Mr. Scientist! My fully functioning brain is probably what prevents me from working for the CDC.
136 outbreaks does not mean it only affected 136 people.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 76 million foodborne illness cases occur in the United States every year. This amounts to one in four Americans becoming ill after eating foods contaminated with such pathogens as E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Hepatitis A, Campylobacter, Shigella, Norovirus, and Listeria.
On an annual basis, approximately 325,000 people are hospitalized with a diagnosis of food poisoning, and 5,000 die. The annual dollar costs of foodborne illnesses—in terms of medical expenses and lost wages and productivity—range from $6.5 to $34.9 billion (Buzby and Roberts, 1997; Mead, et al., 1999).
Anyone who uses "A Medical Scientist" as their name is surely a tragic excuse for a human being. By the way, I'm a rocket scientist, a Nobel laureate, and a former Rhodes Scholar. Who shall dare disagree with my rhetoric?!?!
Brad, I'm going to roundhouse kick your reality and replace it with my own.
What about everyone who doesn't feel 'quite right' after eating out, or gets ill. How many times have you heard (or used) "Must have been something I ate" or "It didn't agree with me".
Chances are those 'icky' feelings are mild food poisoning. How many of those don't get reported? My hunch is that everyone has had some form of food poisoning 2 or 3 times EACH year. They just aren't ill enough to go to the Dr. or ER.
I think food safety is important, but it starts with how they are farming and runoffs...not washing, refrigerating, ect. I mean what are they going to try to do next, ban fresh raw produce? This stuff has been around since the beginning of time before refrigeration. Seems to me like some farming and food manufacturing practices are what really needs to change.
3 deaths in a ten year span will not deter me from eating salsa or guacamole.
" – but be forewarned, I may have place my bare posterior onto your fresh bologna when you weren't looking." O.o
REALLY?? 136 cases in a 10 year period?? Is this worth reporting? People are going to panic and stop eating these foods. Focus on the other 96.1 percent of the causes!
But Bill, we have to PANIC!!! The killer bees are on the way, and I hear they come armed to the teeth with E Coli filled guac!!!
136 outbreaks, not cases.
The other 96.1% is probably employees not washing their hands, or washing improperly. If I see a restaurant employee not washing hands, or if the restroom has no soap, I will always rat them out.
Incidentally, a large portion of "food bourne" illness may also be caused by diners not washing properly...
Totally. 3 deaths in 10 years? *GASP!!* The horror!
What about deaths from car accidents, heart disease, suicide ... methinks a little funky guac is not all that newsworthy.
Hmmm... salsa, guacamole and pico de gallo, could it be that foodborne illnesses are simply more likely in Mexican restaurants?
Eric & Lakers-
Ridiculous! Many people eat out at Mexican and other restaurants and have no problems. This study wasn't a contrast to other styles of restaurants. Sounds like a little prejudice slinking into your "blanket" statements with no support. The problem with much Mexican food is that it is so good, habit-forming and more than a bit fattening!
A lot of fresh produced is picked by Mexicans (among others) in areas where there are portable toilets and no running water for hand washing (and even if there was running water to wash I doubt it is supervised = no oversight). So if one is going to generalize they may as well generalize all the way to the head-end of the food distribution network as well.
Do not go there, dude.
You're an absolute idiot.
@ ERIC, TRULY U ARE A RETARD, AND READING YOUR COMMENT MADE ME DUMBER AND NEVER WANT TO
HAVE CHILDREN BECAUSE THEY MAY COME OUT LIKE A DUMB A$$ LIKE YOU. YOUR FREE BIRTHCONTROL AND SHOULD BE PROUD U MORON!!!!!1
Every laboratory-confirmed case of food-borne illness is important to report. It may be another piece of the puzzle for an outbreak. I can confirm this story, as I had Shigella and Campylobacter from eating guacamole at a Mexican restaurant chain in Minneapolis two weeks ago. Not an experience I care to repeat.
I'm not sure why people like Andrew complain about tax dollars going to research things like food born illness, and they clearly don't understand the process of data collection. The CDC collects data, and from that data they can see patterns. One such pattern pointed to llness caused by salsa/guac. They didn't say, "Hey, let's research salsa and see what we find!". They collect data on ALL food born illness cases and see what patterns emerge. Another example of ignorant people parroting talking points with little to no understanding of the context. The anti-science crowd has a lot to learn.
oops. food born = foodborne.
They should report the intestinal devastation left in the wake of a common L.A. roach coach. That carne asada can be brutal and the chicharones can cause renal failure.
Comida Mexicana te da chorro.
Yea, the kind that burn your chicalinski.
I once found a balled up receipt in the salsa at El Torito Grill. They had been recycling the leftover salsa from tables back into the vat. They offered me a free brunch. I told them to comp the meal and never went back.
Here's what I have to say about this article: NOM NOM NOM
Is it a mystery that Mexican food gives you the runs?
Nowhere near as bad as Italian, Franky boy.
No where near as bad as that Russian food.
No Where as bad as thai food...lol
I'm curious as to why the tiny percentage of problems caused by salsa/guac is reported but no mention is made of what the other 96% of causes were. I don't suppose it's because the other problems are overwhelmingly caused by tainted meat but that they have a powerful lobby, while salsa and guacamole has no lobby at all. Nah, couldn't be that.
Once found chewed gum in my salsa. I think most Mexican restaurants recycle the salsa. There is no escaping it, they pour this stuff on the entrees too. If you are worried about getting sick then you shouldn't be eating Mexican food in the first place. its going to give you diarrhea almost every time.
No way. We eat Mexican food all the time here in Tucson - have never gotten sick from it. Love guacamole and pico.
No way. Same in Flagstaff. I eat Mexican food all the time and have never gotten sick from it.
Ya gotta stop eating at crappy fast food dives – there all staffed by misanthropes.
3.9% ? Come on...I bet there was more people who were sick from a Cobb Salad than Salsa and Guac.Or eating Jo Jos at the deli in the grocery store. This is a inane article giving us no information.Scare tactics to keep the gringos at Applebees rather than the kick ass mexican joint down the street. Well guess what gringos...those kids at Applebees dont wash their hands as much as they should either...It just plain simple sanitation practices that any establishment needs to enforce...Salsa and Guac is just another victim in the numbing of the American pallette...its safer to eat off a taco truck in East LA than at any KFC or McD's...
Not much of a surprise here. I suspect if you asked people who make fresh salsa (which I do), they'd tell you how easy it would be for it to be contaminated – particularly if you do it in bulk. You really need to wash, look throughly at, and trim every little tomato, onion, pepper, piece of cilantro, etc. Not too bad if you're doing it in small batches, like I do, but imagine making many gallons a day – there's just no easy, safe way to do it in bulk quantities. And cooked salsa can't hold a candle to the fresh stuff.
3.9%...really? Is this really worth the bringing to our attention? 136 cases in what, 10 years. Assuming we're just talking about the US here, that means 13.6 people...okay, 14 people...out of more than 300,000,000, got sick from eating salsa or guac each year from 1998 to 2008.
Forgive me if I don't run out into the street screaming "The sky is falling!"
It is exactly this kind of thing that pointless data that instills fears into the public. I guess that maintains a certain about of job security for the CDC.
It's 136 outbreaks...not 136 cases...each outbreak could include dozens of people
I thought salsa was acidic enough to kill foodborn illness. Sort of like leaving Ketchup out. How come no mention of this in the story? Either dispel it as a myth or provide more details. For example, some salsas are more safe than others. Anybody else have details that CNN chose not to research?
avocados are one of the healthiest foods for you.
Dumb. Salsa and guacamole are not the culprits as the article says in its first line. People are. I could eat paper and motor oil and get these food borne illnesses from them if they were handled by the morons who make these "large batches". Make your own food and follow safe procedures and I promise you will NEVER get sick from eating a fruit (avocado) or a vegetable (tomatoes and peppers). Allow someone else to prepare your food for you and it is buyer beware.
Right on! I agree 100%
technically a tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable....
Hate to break it to ya' Ross, but plenty of people have died from contaminated produce.
Just cause you buy food and prepare it at home, no matter how safe you are once it gets in to your kitchen, doesn't guarantee you to be free of food born illnesses.
I'm not trying to be alarmist, but I bet more people get food poisoning from home prepared food than do from restaurants.
Phil darlin', time to put down that meth pipe.
And what about the other 96.1%? I love Mexican food and this isn't going to slow me down!
I think only those people who did not wash the guac down with ample amonts of tequilla are really at risk - so that would be about 1% of those who have guac. 99% of us are safe
Is it just me or does that look a whole lot like dog vomit?
It's just you.
I am stone-cold sober, but these comments hilarious. Thanks all youse for the laughs.
What about the cause for the other 96% of foodborne outbreaks in restaurants? Can't anything served in a restaurant cause foodborne outbreaks, and what is the motivation or benefit for focusing on only salsa or guacamole?
Trixen, I don't think you look like dog vomit.
when you eat at a fast food place where kids work ever wonder if your food was spit on or had their snot blowed on your food scary huh?
All the time. And for good reason. NEVER eat at a place who's kitchen is staffed by brain dead teen pukes.
Its nice to know that the CDC is earning their money. Gee, I was really worried about my Guacamole. Now, where the HELL are the studies of how the Oil Dispersant that BP is using affects Human Health??? Where the HELL is the CDC on an issue of such monumental importance??? How safe are the crops to consume that have been dosed with this new poison??? I've yet to hear the CDC say anything about this catastrophe! Or, has "POISONING" been taken off the list of Diseases when I wasn't looking????????
The CDC handles disease. The EPA handles the BP toxic soup. When people start dropping dead the CDC will get involved...
Well, you can lower your risk by not eating in a dirty place, however any food can make you sick if not properly cared for. So take your chances and enjoy life. You will not make it out alive anyway.
Yep, 100% guarantee you will die. Besides, you're more likely to get hit by another driver on your way to the restaurant than die from bad salsa
Wow. There is more risk in crossing the street, brushing your teeth, taking an Advil, sipping coffee, or pumping gas than eating salsa or guac. Lets put this into perspective. Jeeez.
Racist & Stupid! What about burgers, hot dogs and pizza? They cause more cardiovascular problems than all the guacamole & salsa combined!
How dare you ! Those are glorious American foods. They are beyond reproach. ETHNIC FOODS ARE KILLING TRUE RED-BLOODED AMERICANS. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!
Yeap its the tomotoes that were orginally contaminated. I agree with the rest of you. Did a 21 year old write this story? Did a Tea Party person write this story to keep me from eating at Mexican food resturants?
WARNING FRESH PRODUCE – Give me a break. The thing that's bad about Pico de Gallo and Gucamole is that its made from vegetables and fruit (tomatoes)? The only think the government will let us eat is Soma and soylent – Green.
Hmmmmm............. 3.9%.......... That means that 4 out of every 100 people who got sick from eating in a restaurant was the result of bad salsa or guac..... I'm willing to bet there are a lot of other restaurant foods responsible for more illnesses....
136 outbreak....not 136 cases
"136 outbreaks" not 136 'cases'. LERN 2 REED Hahahaha
God I love 'Teh Internets' and idiotic knee-jerk responses/comments.
It's better than SNL or Jimmy Kimmel IMHO (^-^)
Jimmy Kimmler has NO talent.
Yes, folks. The government has spoken. Fresh, wholesome vegetables, fruits, and other naturally-occurring foods are the enemy. You should only eat heavily processed foods from ConAgra, Monsanto, and other big-food campaign contributors.
And don't forget food that contains lots of perservatives!
So three deaths in ten years and we get a report warning us not to eat guacomole and salsa. Really now? Honestly, this is a serious article?
This country is odd. I'm Europen and we're worrying about three deaths in ten years. How many people died in the US, TODAY, of gun shots? If death is what we're worried about, use your head, eat the salsa and pay attention to real problems, no BS ones.
This is like in Europe, where they worry about contaminants...yet they all have cigarrets in their mouth. Sometimes people, the real enemy is the one the closest to you.
How many people were not robbed, raped, kidnapped, or seriously injured because they were able to defend themselves, or because criminals knew it was likely that they would be killed for attempting?
A lot.
SAY What PaPi?
PAPilot: WTF!!!!!! Are you really a pilot? What do you fly?, kites.
MEAT ...Oink..Moo..ITS GOOD 4 U – GREEN BAAAAD!
3.9% of food-borne outbreaks come from restaurants that serve salsa/guacamole...of all the restaurants in the US, what's the total percentage that serve salsa/guacamole? I imagine its higher than 3.9%, given the number of Taco Bells everywhere. Doesn't that mean that 96.1% of all outbreaks come from restaurants that DON'T serve salsa/guacamole?
With all the intellectually valid criticisms of the article, I'll bet the blogger will think long and hard before posting again. Nice job everyone! Perhaps concluding every post with "There is more risk in crossing the street, brushing your teeth, taking an Advil, sipping coffee, or pumping gas than eating salsa or guac. Lets put this into perspective. Jeeez." would be advisable.
The sky is falling, the sky is falling!!!!!! And you wonder why we have stopped looking up?
Anyone who still eats in restaurants where the food is prepared by minimum wage workers who don't give a damn deserves what they get. MAKE IT YOURSELF! It is healthier and much more fun. What else do you have to do, watch TV???
I knew they tasted too good to be healthy...
How is this news? And this is what the CDC is wasting its time and our money on? Seriously? You can check out the CDC website – http://wwwn.cdc.gov/foodborneoutbreaks/Default.aspx – and run your own searches – you'll read that foodborne outbreaks come from all types of food.
Kinda old news and they paid a scientific research for this?? It's logical, if you don' t wash food nor your hands chances are you might get food poisoning, if you don't sotre your left overs in a fridge that works, again food poisoning! Common sence people...
136 cases in 10 years. Ill take my chances and enjoy my salsa. This is just a group of researchers trying to occupy their time until they collect their pensions.
Wow – there's a lot of ignorance on here. First, you'd be screaming at the CDC if you were affected, so don't pretend they're wasting time or money. Second, 136 outbreaks does not equal 136 cases – it can be thousands of cases. Third, don't assume you know anything about research; just because it "feels" obvious or "feels" like a waste of time or money does not make it so.
Incidentally, it's not all so logical. For example, if you don't wash avocados before cutting them, you risk contaminating the inside from the knife. I see lots of restaurants not wash their avocados. Almost no one washes them at home – you could learn a thing or do about food safety from researchers!
And you're not supposed to get water with lemon in restaurants because they cut the lemons on dirty surfaces with dirty knifes. If we ate everything we weren't supposed to, we wouldn't eat. Until a few years later when they say "Sorry, those foods are now good for you! Here's the new list, the foods you were eating before are now bad for you. For now." We're killing ourselves anyway, what's the difference?