No one in my husband’s family refrigerates their mayonnaise — even after the jars are opened. The mayonnaise is kept in the pantry until it is finished. Please be aware that we live in an area where the temperature outside can reach 107 degrees. What I can’t understand is why none of them ever get sick. Can it be that they are just lucky? My mother-in-law says her mother used to do it, so maybe the whole family has built up some kind of immunity.

Do you have any idea why this is so? — Baffled in Bakersfield

Dear Bakersfield: My office contacted the Association for Dressing and Sauces. We were told commercial mayonnaise can be stored at room temperature (although temperatures of 107 degrees would be too hot). The eggs are pasteurized, and the acidity content is high enough to kill most bacteria. Refrigeration is recommended, however, to retain the container’s original flavor. Kraft Foods strongly recommends refrigerating mayonnaise after opening the jar to ensure good quality and to minimize the risk of contamination.

So, if your mother-in-law insists on leaving her mayo in the pantry, she probably won’t get sick from it.

Note from Bonnie: Live food — the kind that needs refrigeration and goes bad sitting at room temperature on a shelf for several hours (like homemade mayonnaise) — nourishes us, while processed food — food that has a long "shelf-life" — does not. However, I’m hoping a person can remain healthy eating processed food when they supplement their diet with 100% absorbable nutrients (such as WaterOz EPN and minerals).

My reason for hoping that this is true is that since I’ve been taking the WaterOz EPN and minerals I’ve noticed that I can eat Kraft mayonnaise with no stomach discomfort, when, for the past 20 years I have not eaten mayonnaise because when I did I felt nauseous. I love to eat deviled eggs made with Kraft mayonnaise or have it with tuna or chicken sandwiches! Over the years I’ve tried everything I could think of to be able to eat Kraft mayonnaise. The fat digesting enzyme, Lipase, did nothing to help me digest it no matter how many capsules I took when I ate it. Only since I’ve added WaterOz EPN and minerals to my diet have I been able to digest it.

Kraft Foods today announced a voluntary recall of all Taco Bell Home Originals taco shells sold in grocery stores nationwide after finding that some contained genetically modified corn only approved for farm animals.

The recall of shells sold under the name Taco Bell Home Originals is believed to be the first ever undertaken because a genetically engineered product was found in the food supply. The action comes at a time when the biotechnology industry has been defending itself against charges its products may be unsafe and poorly regulated.

The unapproved corn is a variety called StarLink produced by Aventis CropScience of Durham, N.C. The corn is genetically modified to contain the plant pesticide Bacillus thuringienis, or Bt, which kills the destructive European corn borer. The StarLink variety contains a protein known as Cry9, which humans cannot digest as quickly as other forms of Bt engineered corn. As a result, government officials have been concerned that it might trigger dangerous allergic reactions in people.

StarLink is the only biotech product that has been approved for animal but not human use. Aventis officials said that it is now planted in about 300,000 of the 73 million acres used for growing corn nationwide.

The recall affects all varieties of Taco Bell shells sold in grocery stores. Consumers who have purchased the shells should not eat them and can return the packages for a refund, Kraft said.

Officials of the Taco Bell restaurant chain said that while their shells are different from the Kraft versions, they are made at the same Mexican plant and are now being tested "as a precaution." Senior Vice President Jonathan Blum said that the company has changed cornmeal suppliers and will have shells from those suppliers at all its 7,000 restaurants within a week.

No one knows how the unapproved corn could have gotten into the shells. The corn may have been accidentally mixed with conventional corn, or illegally sold to the miller who made the corn flour for the shells, federal and company officials said.

Kraft began testing their taco shells after the same genetically modified corn was found in shells examined by a different lab at the request of an anti-biotech group called Genetically Engineered Food Alert.

"Testing has now indicated the presence of ‘StarLink’ and we are immediately withdrawing all affected products," said Betsy Holden, president and chief executive of Kraft Foods, in a statement.

The products being recalled are Taco Bell Home Originals 12 Taco Shells, Taco Bell Home Originals 18 Taco Shells, and Taco Bell Home Originals Taco Dinner (12 Shells, Sauce & Seasoning.)

Larry Bohlen of Friends of the Earth, the group that first had the taco shells and other corn products tested, said today that he thought "Kraft took the right step in pulling the genetically contaminated products."

"I also feel the FDA has failed the American public in safeguarding our food against engineered products rushed to market without adequate safety and environmental testing," he said.

An FDA official also commended Kraft for "acting responsibly to recall its Taco Bell brand taco shell products. This is a prudent step in the face of the possibility that the product contains a corn variety not approved for human food."

Kraft advised consumers who have purchased Taco Bell shells not to eat them, and said they could return the packages for a full refund.

According to its statement, Kraft purchases finished taco shell products for the Taco Bell line from Sabritas Mexicali, a wholly owned subsidiary of PepsiCo, Inc. in Mexicali, Mexico. Sabritas purchases corn flour for the product from Azteca Milling L.P., which processes the flour in Plainview, Texas.

A Kraft official said the company had not yet determined how many boxes of the Taco Bell shells might be returned in the recall.