US food safety officials issue pistachio nut recall

[steaner]

Pistachio nuts. Photograph: Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty

US food safety officials have recalled more than 1m pounds (454,000 kilograms) of pistachio nuts from more than 30 states after traces of salmonella were found in batches sold by a California company.
The US food and drug administration said pistachios grown by Setton Farms were found to be contaminated with multiple strains of the bacteria. Kroger, one of the largest supermarket chains in the country, has recalled pistachio products from stores in 31 states.
Salmonella poisoning can cause severe diarrhoea, fever and abdominal cramps and is especially dangerous in frail people, young children and elderly people. The American nut industry has been roiled lately by a series of salmonella outbreaks linked to a Georgia peanut company that have sickened nearly 700 people and may have contributed to nine deaths. The pistachio contamination is said to be unrelated, but it comes at a bad time for consumers wary of nut-borne illness and allergies.
The agency said it was unsure whether anyone had been sickened by the Setton Farms pistachios.
The agency said it first learned of the problem last week, when food industry giant Kraft Foods traced salmonella contamination in a brand of trail mix back to Setton. The agency warned the recall could affect many products because the nuts are widely used as a food ingredient in everything from beef dishes to ice cream.
Setton has stopped distributing processed pistachios. It said this was its first recall in more than 13 years of selling the nuts.
California food safety inspectors are investigating Setton's records, processing practices and distribution channels, and are collecting samples for laboratory testing. Officials warned the investigation could result in more recalls.
The recall covers a fraction of the more than 400m pounds of pistachios grown every year in California, which accounts for 98% of US production. In 2005, the most recent year for which statistics are available, the US was the world's second-largest producer of pistachios behind Iran, according to the United Nations. The US is also a top exporter of pistachios, accounting for about 14% of global trade.

[daisyallen123]

From all of above I want to include one interesting information a national salmonella outbreak was blamed on a Georgia company under federal investigation for flouting safety procedures and knowingly shipping contaminated peanuts.

[abigailpoul]

U.S. nut industry has been troubled recently by the Georgia Peanut linked companies, nearly 700 people sick, and may result in death of 9 people salmonella outbreak series. Pistachio pollution is considered to be unrelated, but it is for the consumer in a nut-borne diseases and allergy alert when bad.