Commissioner Jerry Farrell, Jr. today warned consumers that they should take care in the consumption of pistachio nuts in light of the recall of all pistachios produced by Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, California. Products included bulk roasted shelled pistachio sold to wholesale customers since September 1, 2008. Pistachio products produced by Setton have been tested and found to be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria.
“Given the broad distribution of this product to other processors, all pistachio nuts and products should be viewed as suspect for the time being,” Commissioner Farrell said. “However, rather than discarding or returning all pistachios, I suggest that consumers hold onto those products for now, until we have more information.”
Some Kraft Back to Nature Trail Mix believed to have been distributed in Connecticut may contain pistachios produced by Setton.
Products in the Back to Nature brand identified by Kraft in a separate recall include:
• 28 oz. bag of Nantucket Blend Trail Mix, UPC 5928-300020 with a “best by” date between 8/20/2009 and 12/12 2009; and
• 10 oz. bag of Nantucket Blend Trail Mix, UPC 5928-331039 with a “best by” date between 11/4/2009 and 12/12 2009.
Consumers are urged to discard these specific products or return them to the place of purchase.
The Department of Consumer Protection continues to work with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to assist in the evaluation of recalls of food and other products. For current information from the FDA on the pistachio nut recall, visit www.fda.gov/pistachios.
Salmonellosis is an infection caused by Salmonella bacteria. Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment. However, in some persons, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. In these patients, the Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream, and then to other body sites and can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics. Older adults, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness.
