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FDA Issues Salmonella Pistachio Warning

By PritzkerLaw

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is recommending that consumers avoid eathing pistachios and pistachio products until the agency knows more about a potentially widespread case of Salmonella contamination.

This is how the situation has developed.

• On Monday, Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, Calif., issued a large recall of bulk pistachios sold across the country at the wholesale level. Tests showed that the nuts contained multiple strains of Salmonella.
• This morning, the FDA issued a consumer warning against eating pistachios and pistachio products, saying that Setton Pistachio would be issuing an even larger recall of about 1 million pounds of the nuts.
• The FDA and the California Department of Public Health are investigating the company's facilities and conducting genetic testing on pistachios to see if Salmonella strains found in the nuts match illnesses reported by consumers.
• As of this morning, it was not known if the contamination has led to an outbreak but it is early in the investigation.
• The FDA warned consumers that many more recalls will be coming down the pike because food companies have used the potentially contaminated nuts in various products.
• In that regard, the pistachio alert is like the peanut product Salmonella outbreak that has lingered since September of last year. In that public health scare, more than 3,600 food products containing potentially contaminated peanuts sold at wholesale by Peanut Corporation of America have been recalled from the grocery market.
• The pistachio problem is not believed to be related to the adulteration of peanuts. The peanut-related outbreak has sickened more than 700 people and is believed to have led to nine deaths.

PritzkerOlsen, P.A., is representing victims in the peanut butter Salmonella outbreak, including the families of three women who died with Salmonella infections. The national food safety law firm is closely following the pistachio situation and is already prepared to accept cases of those who believe they have been injured.

Fred Pritzker, founder of the firm, has appeared on CNN and CBS News as a Salmonella expert and he has been quoted by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press and regional newspapers about all outbreaks of foodborne illness.

If you or someone you know is in need of representation for a serious illness related to Salmonella and nuts, please call the firm (toll free) at 1-888-377-8900 or complete an electronic case consultation form. 

Full post as published by Food Poisoning Law Blog on March 31, 2009 (boomark / email).