Photo courtesy of Caren Firouz.
TERRA BELLA, Calif.- Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc. is voluntarily expanding its recall to include all lots of roasted in-shell pistachios, roasted shelled pistachios, and shelled raw pistachios that were produced from nuts harvested in 2008, due to concerns about potential Salmonella contamination.
The bacteria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.
The expanded recall comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the California Department of Public Health inspected the company facilities and found the presence of Salmonella in critical areas, which contributed to the fear of potential cross-contamination between raw and roasted products.
In addition, as a result of pistachios being used as ingredients in a variety of food products, the FDA has created a searchable database of potentially contaminated products to aide public safety. Further, the agency is warning wholesalers, retailers, and operators of restaurants and food service establishments not to sell or serve any pistachios or pistachio-containing products until the source of the pistachios can be determined.
CAL-PURE, a co-op of California pistachio growers, and the Western Pistachio Association have established a website that lists firms which state that their pistachios are not from Setton. The FDA cautions that it has not verified the claims of the firms, and is not responsible for the contents of the website.