CFIA urges Canadians to check cupboards as pistachio recall widens

Shelled pistachio kernels are seen in this file image. (shutterstock.com)

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has once again issued a warning about recalled pistachio products due to possible salmonella contamination, the latest in a series of similar recalls across the country.

The pistachios and pistachio-containing products from the most recent recall warning were sold in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and online.

An extensive list of the products and where they were sold is available on the government’s website. The recently added products include raw whole pistachios, raw pistachios kernels, flavoured pistachio kernels and pistachio cheesecake, among others. The list of products dates back to a Nov. 12 recall warning and notification.

The notice advises anyone who has become sick from eating a recalled product to contact their health-care provider.

“Do not consume, serve, use, sell, or distribute recalled products,” it adds. “Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the location where they were purchased.”

The CFIA says products contaminated with salmonella don’t always appear or smell spoiled but can still lead to illness. Vulnerable populations like young children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems can become seriously ill or die. Short-term symptoms in otherwise healthy populations include fever, headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhea.

Severe arthritis is a long-term complication, it adds.

Dozens of pistachios and pistachio-products recall warnings have been issued by the CFIA since July 25, and as of Oct. 21, over 100 people have become sick in connection to a salmonella outbreak.