Probe of Pistachio-Salmonella Outbreak Shifts to New York Facility

Investigators trying to get to the bottom of a suspected outbreak of salmonella-contaminated pistachios are now looking into a sister company of the California grower at the center of the emerging scandal.

Setton International Foods Inc., based in Commack, N.Y., is affiliated with Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc., the nation’s second-largest processor of pistachio foods. The New York facility recently flunked a food safety inspection, which found live and dead cockroaches and rodent droppings inside its plant, officials said. The facility may be the source of contaminated pistachios, officials said.

Inspectors conducted a second inspection of the plant today and took swabs and food samples to be tested for salmonella and other pathogens, officials said. In the meantime, no foods are being shipped from the 50,000-square foot processing facility, which makes chocolate and yogurt-coated nuts and dried fruit.

The two companies share a CEO, Joshua Setton, and label packages of bulk and retail foods with both firms’ names, FDA spokesman Mike Herndon said.

About two million pounds of pistachios processed by Setton Pistachio in California have been recalled amid fears the nuts might carry salmonella bacteria, a common and life-threatening form of food poisoning. Earlier this year, an outbreak of salmonella in peanut butter and other peanut foods was blamed for hundreds of illnesses and one of the largest food recalls in U.S. history.

That outbreak of salmonella in peanuts is ongoing, but reports of recalls and illnesses caused by it have died down, only to be replaced in news headlines by word of the new outbreak suspected in pistachios.

Nuts Sold to Large Food Companies, Retail Outlets

Pistachios grown and processed by Setton Pistachio were sold to large food makers, grocery stores, and retail stores including Wal-Mart, Kraft Foods, and Kroger’s. The companies have announced nationwide recalls of foods suspected of carrying contaminated pistachios.

Meanwhile, the FDA has warned people to avoid eating all pistachios and products containing the nuts until further investigation can reveal more sources of potential contamination.

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