Country Life Natural Foods of Pullman, MI is recalling shelled raw pistachios, sold in 2-pound bags and 30-pound boxes, because it has the potential to 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. Others infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis. The shelled raw pistachios were distributed in AR, CA, FL, IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, MO, OK, SC, SD, TN, and WI through retail stores, mail order, and direct delivery. The 2-pound bags will bear the batch number 1357 in the lower left corner of the Country Life Natural Foods Label. The 30-pound boxes will bear the name “SAM International” lot number 102914, and best by date of April 29, 2016. No illnesses have been reported to date. This recall followed contract testing laboratory analysis by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that revealed the presence of Salmonella in one of the 19 samples obtained from SAM International. (To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)
