Pistachios recalled this spring for possible Salmonella contamination have been repackaged and distributed to airports and hotels nationwide, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a warning.
In a separate warning, the agency also is warning people not to eat or handle prepackaged Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough because it could be contaminated with a toxin-producing form of E. coli bacteria. (See related story)
The pistachios that the FDA is warning people not to eat are in packages branded “California Prime Produce” or Orange County Orchards. Those pistachios were packaged in clear 6-ounce plastic bags bearing the UPC number 8 10826 01116 2, with “sell-by” dates of July 30, 2009, and Aug. 30, 2009.
They were among hundreds of thousands of pounds of pistachios recalled in April by Setton International Foods of Commack, N.Y. and processed at the company’s Terra Bella, Calif., plant. The FDA said they were “repacked” by Orca Distribution West. Inc. of Anaheim, Calif.
FDA inspectors “visited” Orca facilities as part of a follow-up audit on Setton’s pistachio recall and discovered the possibly contaminated nuts had been repacked and distributed.
“Orca has not made a public announcement regarding these products,” the FDA said in a statement. “Therefore, the FDA is issuing this press release to alert consumers so that they can take appropriate action.”
As of Tuesday, Orca was listing bags of Orange County Orchards-branded pistachios for sale on its web site.
Salmonella is a bacteria that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates causes 1.4 million annual cases of an intestinal infection, resulting in 600 deaths each year.
By: Bob Dunn on Tue, Jun 23, 2009
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