Apr. 8--As an expanded number of Setton Farms' pistachio products fell under a growing recall Tuesday, federal agencies were still no closer to determining whether any of the tainted nuts had sickened consumers.
"We're still in the same place -- no definitive links between pistachios and human illness," Dr. David Acheson, assistant commissioner for food safety at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said.
The FDA is working with scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to determine whether any salmonella-related illnesses reported to authorities in recent months are connected to Setton pistachios.
The job of finding a possible link involves sleuthing at a submicroscopic level. Scientists need the genetic fingerprints of tainted pistachios and the genetic fingerprint from a pistachio product that sickened someone to connect the dots and match strains.
The CDC estimates 40,000 cases annually of salmonella poisoning in the United States and 600 deaths. There are more than 2,500 salmonella strains.
Federal scientists have found salmonella at Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella in California, sister company of Commack-based Setton International Foods, which is linked to an evolving salmonella scare. However, they have not yet fully identified the bacteria's genetics, nor the number of strains they've found.
"At this stage we've gotten some salmonella positives," Acheson said Tuesday.
Last week, Setton voluntarily recalled 2 million pounds of its pistachios processed since Sept. 1 after the FDA announced scientists at Kraft Foods Inc., had linked four strains of salmonella to Setton's pistachios. Kraft informed the FDA of the discovery March 24.
Late Monday, the recall was expanded to include all lots of Setton's shelled pistachios, roasted shelled pistachios, roasted in-shell pistachios and raw shelled pistachios from the 2008 crop.
Tuesday, Acheson told Newsday that FDA scientists are still not certain whether the salmonella that investigators isolated in key areas of the facility match strains found by Kraft. "I hope we'll know that in the next 24 to 48 hours," he said.
Kraft scientists pinpointed salmonella in their trail mix in September and recalled the product. The food manufacturer then sent its own scientists on a hunt for the bacteria's source, a path that ultimately led to Setton.
Acheson was uncertain how many more pounds of pistachios fall under the expanded recall. Representatives for the California nut processor did not return phone inquiries.
Setton International Foods in Commack coats pistachios from its California division with chocolate and yogurt. It has been beset by problems of its own: failing its March 3 state health inspection. A report issued March 9 revealed cockroaches and rodent feces among other problems at the 50,000-square-foot facility.
The New York Department of Agriculture and Markets last week said the company had already moved to correct several concerns at the plant.
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