Texas Star Nut & Food Co. is expanding its recall of Nature’s Eats brand pistachios to include additional brands and trail mixes distributed nationwide because of possible Salmonella contamination, according to Food Safety News.
The company issued its initial recall on March 10, 2016, when they voluntarily recalled Nature’s Eats, Natural Pistachio Kernels, 8.0 oz. in a cello bag, because of possible Salmonella contamination. The product was distributed to Retail Locations in Texas and Louisiana.
The expanded recall includes snacks and nut mixes sold between Aug. 13, 2015, and Feb. 24 this year. Brands added to the recall are Fresh Choice and Southern Grove. The company has stopped distribution of all products containing pistachio kernels, according to the expanded recall notice on the Food and Drug Administration’s website.
The products could be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Consumers with concerns or questions should call the company at 844-571-5555 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. CDT.
The products added to the recall as of late yesterday are:
Wonderful Pistachios voluntarily recalls some pistachio products nationwide and in Canada, Mexico and Peru
The Wonderful pistachio recall is particularly concerning because from December 12, 2015, to February 9, 2016, there have been 11 people in nine states infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Montevideo. Two people had to be hospitalized, reports the Food Poisoning Bulletin.
The nine states where illnesses were reported include Alabama (1), Arizona (1), Connecticut (1), Georgia (1), Michigan (1), Minnesota (1), North Dakota (1), Virginia (1), and Washington state (2). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), using techniques called pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and whole genome sequencing (WGS) identified the causative pathogen as Salmonella Montevideo.
A Collaborative investigation by state, local, and federal public health and regulatory officials indicated that pistachios produced by Wonderful Pistachios of Lost Hills, California was the likely source of this outbreak.
Other recalls since the outbreak of illnesses started include Favorites pistachios, and Wonderful, Trader Joe’s, and Paramount Farms in-shell and shelled pistachios. So if you enjoy pistachio nuts, either roasted or natural, check, please, to make sure they haven’t been put on the recall list.