Dozens of pistachio and pistachio-related products in the last few days have been recalled due to possible salmonella contamination, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said in its recent recall notices.
In the last two weeks alone, the agency has issued nine such recall notices. CFIA is asking Canadians to not consume, use, sell, serve or distribute recalled products.
Why pistachios?
Pistachios are increasingly popular in Canada, with one estimate saying revenue from sales is projected to exceed $500 million this year.
The pistachio recall was triggered by a Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) investigation. The recent recalls are linked to an ongoing investigation into a foodborne illness outbreak, CFIA said.
This may not be the last of the pistachio recalls as CFIA continues its investigation.
“The CFIA is verifying that industry is removing recalled products from the marketplace,” the agency said.
Recall notices
A large recall notice was issued on Sept. 24, pertaining to nine different pistachio products. This included raw pistachios, unsalted pistachios, pistachio kernels and skinless pistachios.
These products were sold at various stores in Calgary, Edmonton and St. Thomas, Ont.
Get daily National news
A day later, another recall was issued for products containing pistachios sold at an Ottawa store. This included a recall for paleo and vegan pistachio bars, baklava and kunafa.
CFIA issued a third recall a day after that, which pertains to more products containing pistachios. This includes chocolate pistachio cake, cookies, strawberry cheesecake and gelato sold at stores in Mississauga, Ont., and Ottawa.
Some of these products were also sold at Loblaw and Zehrs outlets in Ontario, CFIA said.
A smaller recall was issued on Sept. 27 for raw pistachio kernels sold at a store in Toronto. Two days later, CFIA recalled green pistachios sold at a store in Brampton, Ont. The last pistachio recall of September was for raspberry flavoured pistachio clusters.
The recalls continued into October, with a major recall notice issued on Thursday. This included eight pistachio products sold at stores across Ontario — in Toronto Concord, Ont., and Thunder Bay, Ont.
A smaller recall was issued on Friday for raw pistachio sold at an Ottawa store.
What should you do?
CFIA recommends you check its recall notice page regularly to determine if any pistachio products you bought are affected by the recall.
If you feel sick after consuming the product, contact your health-care provider.
Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the location where they were purchased, CFIA said.
What is salmonella?
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), salmonella is a bacterial infection caused by food contamination.
Food contaminated with salmonella may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick, PHAC said. The infection carries an added risk for children, pregnant people, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.
“Healthy people may experience short-term symptoms such as fever, headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Long-term complications may include severe arthritis,” PHAC said.
Comments