A major league domino effect of food product recalls is already in play just days after the federal government announced a finding of Salmonella contamination in California-grown pistachios distributed nationwide by a large aggregator.

The roaster and distributor, Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc., will recall about 1 million pounds of pistachios and has shut down its production while state and federal health officials investigate. The company has been a pipeline of pistachios to other companies in the food industry for more than 10 years.

Thus, companies across the United States who repackaged the pistachios or used them as ingredients in other products are notifying consumers of the Salmonella danger that got passed on.

As of late Wednesday, there were at least 65 product entries in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's online master index of recalled pistachio products.

For instance, the Fisher brand of pistachios was added to the list Wednesday after the brand's owner recalled 1.75-ounce packages of dry roasted natural pistachios and 25-pound lots of natural California pistachios sold to fund-raisers, re-baggers and bulk food stores.

The FDA fully expects the list of recalled pistachio products to expand, much like has happened in the 7-month-old Salmonella outbreak related to peanut products sold by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). That's because PCA and Setton sold largely to the wholesale and manufacturing market.

National food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., is representing victims of the peanut butter Salmonella outbreak, including the families of three women who died from their illnesses. The firm, which is involved on behalf of victims and survivors in virtually every major outbreak of foodborne illness, is gathering information on the potential pistachio Salmonella outbreak. To contact one of our Salmonella lawyers, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or complete a free case consultation form.

So far, no outbreak of illness has been linked to one of the types of Salmonella bacteria found in Setton's pistachios, but the FDA has said several illnesses reported by consumers may be associated with the contamination. Laboratory analysis of the potential matches is still happening.

Labels: California, pistachio salmonella recall, salmonella lawyer, setton pistacho

With the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suddenly advising U.S. consumers not to eat California-grown pistachios due to Salmonella contamination, national food safety lawyer Fred Pritzker has written an op-ed piece bemoaning the lack of progress our society has made in ridding our system of dangerous food. First we find Salmonella in peanuts, now pistachios.
Writes Mr. Pritzker, "How many more people have to die or get violently ill before we remove these "nuts'' from the marketplace.''

Labels: California, pistachio salmonella recall, salmonella lawyer

Health officials in northern Nevada say they have linked white pepper sold by a California spice company to a four-state outbreak of a rare type of Salmonella.

A joint press release from the Washoe County Health District and Carson City public health officials put it this way: "Ground white pepper products from the Union International Food Co. have been linked to a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella. The discovery of Salmonella in food samples collected from restaurants and food distributors prompted these recommendations.''

The recommendations were for consumers to avoid consuming the product and for restaurants and retailers to remove it.

The Union City, Calif., seasoning maker previously recalled white pepper, black pepper and a list of other spices after health investigators in Nevada, California and Oregon recognized an association between white and black pepper and the illnesses. So far, 42 illnesses have been confirmed as matching the outbreak strain of Salmonella enterica serotype Rissen.

Thirty-three illnesses have been in California, four in northern Nevada, four in the metro area of Portland, Oregon, and one in Washington. Eight of those sickened by the pathogen were hospitalized, officials have said.

The spices recalled by Union International were sold primarily to Chinese and Vietnamese grocery stores and restaurants under the Uncle Chen and Lian How brand names.

The Salmonella attorneys at PritzkerOlsen P.A., a national food safety law firm, have years of experience and a proven track record of success in handling foodborne illness cases of all types. As an experienced practitioner in foodborne illness litigation, PritzkerOlsen is involved in virtually every major outbreak. The firm currently represents three Salmonella wrongful death victims and others who survived the national Salmonella outbreak caused by Peanut Corporation of America.

For a free case consultation, complete our online form or contact us toll-free at 1-888-377-8900.

Labels: California, salmonella lawyer, salmonella spices

Consumers across the country are being advised by the federal government to avoid eating pistachios and pistachio products until investigators get a grip on the scope of a Salmonella contamination problem at a large California producer.

Labels: California, pistachio salmonella recall, salmonella lawyer

Health officials in Oregon, Califonia and Nevada have jointly linked a Salmonella outbreak to pepper spices distributed by a company in California that has made a lot of sales to Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants and grocery stores.

Forty-two people, including 33 in California, have been sickened by a matching strain of the bacteria. The pathogen causes diarrhea, cramps and fever and can be fatal in children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. Eight of the 42 have been hospitalized.

Dr. William Keene, senior epidemiologist in the Public Health Division of the Oregon Department of Human Services, said in a news release that the outbreak strain of Salmonella is enterica serotype Rissen. Oregon, which has four confirmed cases (all in the Portland metro area), helped discover the link by testing Lian How brand pepper, which was a product of interest in the state's investigation into the outbreak.

Labels: California, salmonella lawyer, salmonella spices

Dr. Mark Horton, director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), today warned consumers not to eat Kowalke Family brand alfalfa sprout products because they may be contaminated with Salmonella, which can cause serious illness. The firm is voluntarily recalling these products because the alfalfa sprout seeds used to produce them were found to be contaminated with Salmonella. No illnesses have been associated with Kowalke Family Sprout Inc. alfalfa sprouts.

Kowalke Family Sprouts Inc. products are distributed to retail stores, including stores in the Farmer's Markets food chain, Whole Foods and Gelson's Supermarkets.

All alfalfa, onion/alfalfa mix, cauliflower/alfalfa mix and dinner salad mix products are affected by the recall. Alfalfa products are in 4-ounce, 8-
ounce, 1-pound and 5-pound packages. The dinner salad is in an 8-ounce
package. The cauliflower/alfalfa combo and onion/alfalfa mix are in 4-ounce packages. The products in question have sell-by dates from March 4 through March 26. The codes are located on the front label of the packages.

CDPH continues to advise consumers about the risk of consuming raw sprouts.
Conditions required for sprout growing are ideal for rapid bacterial growth. Sprouts usually are eaten raw with no additional treatment such as cooking which eliminates bacteria that can cause disease.

Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Consumers who have eaten this product and are experiencing the above symptoms should consult their health care provider.

Consumers who purchased these products should immediately discard them or return them to the point of purchase for a refund. If someone has been sickened by the alfalfa sprouts, a Salmonella lawyer should be contacted immediately and the alfalfa sprouts should not be discarded or returned for a refund.

Posted March 2008.

Labels: alfalfa sprout recall, California, California sprout recall, salmonella lawyer