The FDA collected and tested processed avocado and finished guacamole. The assignment began in November 2017 and ended in September 2019. The FDA collected and tested 887 samples of processed avocado and guacamole (domestic and imported product) for Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes. The FDA directed its field staff not to collect products that had undergone high-pressure processing (HPP) or products intended for HPP. The FDA detected Salmonella spp. in two samples later determined to be distinct samples of the same brand of domestically manufactured guacamole from different lots. The agency detected Listeria monocytogenes in 15 samples from nine different firms. Of those 15 samples, eight had not been HPP treated. The HPP-treatment status of the other seven samples could not be ascertained. The FDA conducted WGS analysis on the positives but could not determine whether processed avocado or guacamole was the food vehicle associated with any known human illnesses. The data show that the prevalence of Salmonella and Listeria in the non-HPP-treated samples was higher than in the HPP-treated samples. @ https://www.fda.gov/media/156846/download
