FRESNO, Calif. — Federal food-safety officials warned Monday that consumers should stop eating all foods containing pistachios while authorities figure out the source of a possible salmonella contamination.
The Food and Drug Administration said central California-based Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc., the nation’s second-largest pistachio processor, was voluntarily recalling a portion of the roasted nuts it has been shipping since fall. A Setton spokeswoman said that amounts to more than 2 million pounds of nuts.
Two people called the FDA complaining of gastrointestinal illness that could be associated with the nuts, but the link hasn’t been confirmed, said Dr. David Acheson, assistant commissioner for food safety. Still, the plant decided to shut down late last week, officials said.
The recalled nuts represent a small fraction of the 55 million pounds of pistachios that the company’s plant processed last year and an even smaller portion of the 278 million pounds produced in the state in the 2008 season, according to the Fresno-based Administrative Committee for Pistachios. But because Setton Pistachio shipped tote bags of nuts weighing up to 2,000 pounds to 36 wholesalers across the country, it will take weeks to figure out how many products could be affected, offcials said.
Setton Pistachio sells nuts, dried fruit, edible seeds, chocolate and yogurt-coated candies.
The FDA learned about the problem March 24, when Kraft Foods Inc. notified the agency that it had detected salmonella in roasted pistachios through routine product testing. Kraft and the Georgia Nut Co. recalled their Back to Nature Nantucket Blend trail mix the next day.
The FDA contacted Setton Pistachio and California health officials shortly afterward, in what Acheson called a “proactive move.”
