CFIA announces new measures on pistachios linked to salmonella

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced new measures addressing the risk of Salmonella infection associated with pistachios from Iran. 

“Since Sept, 27, Canada has temporarily banned the import of pistachios and pistachio-containing products from Iran as a precautionary measure to prevent the possibility of new contaminated products from entering the Canadian marketplace,” notes a press release. 

Products already in the Canadian marketplace prior to this ban were subject to testing and inspection. 

READ: Recalls will happen, but how they’re handled can make all the difference

In addition to these actions, the CFIA has now made it mandatory for all federally licenced importers and manufacturers that have Iranian pistachios that were imported prior to Sept. 27 to hold and test them for salmonella before they can be sold in Canada. 

This includes any products that were made with pistachios from Iran that are not already recalled. 

There have been 155 laboratory-confirmed salmonella infections in Canada and numerous food recall notifications linked to Iranian pistachios.