Salmonella risk prompts Wonderful Pistachios to issue voluntary recall
Salmonella risk prompts Wonderful Pistachios to issue voluntary recall
Wonderful Pistachios is voluntarily recalling a limited number of flavors and sizes of in-shell and shelled pistachios due to a risk of Salmonella contamination. Health officials are currently investigating 11 cases in nine states that have been reported in connection with this matter.
In cooperation with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and U.S. Centers for Disease Control, on March 9, Wonderful Pistachios directed affected retailers to remove the specified pistachio products from shelves and advised consumers not to eat and to discard these products.
"Wonderful Pistachios takes food-safety matters very seriously and is working closely with health officials to identify the source of the problem," the company said in a release. "In an effort to further enhance our food-safety program and ensure the health and well being of our consumers, we have, effective immediately, proactively increased our sampling frequencies and lot size testing. The implementation of these augmented safety protocols further exceeds established industry best practices and bolsters our long-standing commitment to producing the highest quality, most wholesome and safest pistachios in the world."
Wonderful Pistachios has been growing, harvesting and processing pistachios for 30 years, and this is the first-ever recall associated with this product. "We pride ourselves in our world-class food-safety protocols and processing facilities," the company said. "To-date, we have invested more than $50 million in our food-safety programs, enhanced facility infrastructure, modernized sanitation practices, increased lab testing and validated roasters to minimize the risk of pathogens."
The pistachios, which were distributed through several retailers, food companies and manufacturers in the United States and Canada, can be identified by a 13-digit lot code number that can be found on the lower back or bottom panel of the package. The specific products and lot codes affected are listed here, and only product with these lot codes is subject to recall.
