The current Salmonella outbreak linked to recalled Wonderful pistachios brings up a question: how does Salmonella get on pistachios? Most of us are familiar with problems with Salmonella on poultry and in eggs. But a dry, shelf-stable product such as pistachios doesn't seem to be a candidate for this bacteria. Unfortunately, Salmonella can live for a long time on dry products, according to research published in the Journal of Food Protection in October 2015. Salmonella can survive for at least six months on foods that are very dry, and will not grow, but survive, on foods that are refrigerated or frozen. And, as we have told you before, any product, including produce, which includes nuts, can be contaminated with bacteria. There have been 89 recalls of nut butters and nuts for … [Read more...]
Pistachio Salmonella Recall Roundup
Updated March 17, 2016 A Salmonella outbreak linked to Wonderful brand pistachios that has sickened 11 people in nine states has triggered a series of recalls. Two people have been hospitalized. Consumers who have recently purchased pistachios should check recall information as Salmonella can cause serious illness and pistachios have a long shelf life. State and federal health officials have used DNA "fingerprinting" tests to identify case patients who are part of the outbreak. Ranging in age from 9 years to 69 years old, those sickened reported onset of illness dates from December 12, 2015 to February 9, 2016. The outbreak strain of Salmonella Montevideo has also been isolated from samples of raw pistachios collected from Paramount Farms, where Wonderful pistachios are grown. Cases … [Read more...]
E. coli and Salmonella Outbreaks from Nuts, Nut Butters and Nut Cheese
Nuts and products made from them are common sources of food poisoning as a look back at some E.coli and Salmonella outbreaks shows. Yesterday, a Salmonella outbreak linked to Wonderful brand pistachios that has sickened 11 people was announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A recall has been issued for pistachios sold under the brand names Wonderful, Paramount Farms, and Trader Joe’s, consumers who have purchased the recalled nuts should not eat them. In 2015, a Salmonella outbreak linked to Jem brand nut butters sickened 13 people in 10 states. A recall was issued for the products which were linked to illnesses from July 2015 to November 2015. Cases of Salmonella Paratyphi B variant L(+) tartrate(+) infection were reported from the following states … [Read more...]
