Wonder how many of these safety blurbs we’ll have to do, but here’s a scary follow-up to my recent post on the FDA and failed legislation.

OK, time to fess up: How many times have you had guacamole and salsa so far this month? I know it’s still early in the month, but I bet your chips were filled with these dippers. Or are you more of a salsa on the side person? Either way, there’s troubling news about these two popular foods, whether we consume them at home, dining out, or carrying in. There’s a major concern.

The Centers for Disease Control, the CDC, reports the less-than-welcome news. The underlying issue is that the ingredients may not be stored properly because they are often made in large batches. Food-borne illnesses like to travel so to prevent this from occurring in our home kitchens, use fresh ingredients and store leftovers promptly. Remember that this has been a wonderful avocado season and East Coast peppers and tomatoes are just beginning to ripen so making homemade salsa should not be an issue. Don’t forget proper handling and washing.

The salsa-guac trend has grown in popularity over the last decade due to taste, familiarity, and growth of many Mexican fast food and midscale casual restaurants. The incidence, a 4% increase in outbreaks parallels the popularity curve. What are we to do? Send back warm salsa–it’s been sitting around. (As a rule of food safety, warm food should spell a problem almost regardless of the item–food should be served chilled or hot. The in-between can cause the greatest upset). Restaurants need to serve from the refrigerator. We cannot inspect the restaurant’s kitchen and storage, but we can be proactive in our decision-making.

No one’s going to take a bite out of this market space, especially in a down economy. We can enjoy and at the same time be smart. Our personal safety depends on it!