Why are pistachios at the centre of so many recalls?

Amy Proulx, former Canadian Food Inspection Agency inspector, discusses reasons behind the multiple recalls of pistachios and products containing the nuts.

Pistachios are at the centre of dozens of recalls linked to a salmonella outbreak in Canada. A food safety expert says one of the reasons behind the recalls could be that they were imported from some countries that have less strict food safety standards.

Federal health officials have recalled more than 100 brands of pistachios and products containing the nuts, such as Dubai-style chocolate and pastries, due to potential salmonella contamination, since late July.

“I think there’s multiple layers to why this recall is dragging on for so long,” Amy Proulx, a former inspector with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca on Thursday, citing food safety standards but also a lack of labelling indicating the origin of the products.

Pistachios are mostly processed in the United States and Middle Eastern countries such as Syria, Iran and Turkiye, and food safety standards vary depending on the country, Proulx said.

“The United States has some incredibly strict and comprehensive food safety programs, whereas in the Middle East, the food safety programs are evolving and they’re improving, but they are still in progress in terms of their improvement,” said Proulx, a professor and academic program co-ordinator for the food innovation programs at Niagara College.

Can pistachios be contaminated?

Birds feed on pistachios from trees and their feces can potentially contaminate the nuts, Proulx said. The harvested pistachios are processed with water and dried under the sun in most parts of the Middle East, which isn’t an adequate way to remove salmonella, Proulx added.

Other factors behind recalls

Based on her review of CFIA’s public database online, Proulx said many of the recalls appear to be connected to a wholesaler that sells packages of pistachios to different bakeries, food processors and other clients.

Lawrence Goodridge, professor of food safety at the University of Guelph, believes the recent cases of contamination aren’t new and that the company that exported the pistachios to Canada may have produced a large amount that has found its way into numerous items over time.

He said some products with pistachios such as baked goods, or pistachios sold in bulk, may not have been labelled indicating the origin of the nuts. He advised consumers not to buy pistachios if they don’t know where they came from.

“It’s often very difficult, especially if those products are unlabelled, to, trace them or to identify them,” he said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca on Thursday. He said it’s particularly challenging to identify potentially contaminated products that used multiple ingredients.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is continuing its food safety investigation.So far, laboratories have confirmed that 62 people fell ill from salmonella outbreaks in Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia and Manitoba, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said in a notice on its website.

But the actual number of cases is “likely much higher,” PHAC said in August, noting many people with mild symptoms aren’t tested because they don’t go to the doctor. Researchers estimate that there could be around 1,600 cases of illnesses to date. Although no deaths were reported, 10 people were hospitalized.