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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has issued a recall for pistachio products, saying 117 people have been hospitalized since October 2025. (Photo/CFIA).
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is advising Canadians to check their pantries for affected products after issuing another recall of pistachio-containing foods due to potential salmonella contamination.
The recall, announced Nov. 27, comes amid a growing list of pistachio products recalled by the CFIA across the country over the past several months, and a temporary ban put on the import of all pistachio products from Iran on Sept. 27.
A 12-page list of the recalled products since Nov. 12, as well as where they were sold, is available here, and the CFIA notes more products may be recalled as their investigation continues. Some of the latest products put under recall include raw and shelled pistachio nuts, Dubai-style chocolates, Baklava desserts, and pistachio ice cream.
The products in the latest recall were sold in Alberta, B.C., Quebec, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as online, according to the CFIA, who says the products were sold both last year and this year.
“Do not consume, serve, use, sell, or distribute recalled products,” the CFIA said. “Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the location where they were purchased.”
The CFIA advises anyone who has become sick from eating a product that’s been recalled to speak to a health-care professional, and notes that products contaminated with salmonella do not necessarily appear spoiled or have any unusual odour.
The CFIA has recalled hundreds of pistachio products in dozens of recall notices since July 21, with Canada’s Public Health Agency (PHAC) listing 117 individuals as sick as of Oct. 21, including 17 hospitalizations. No deaths have been reported to date. The highest number of cases so far has been in Quebec at 67, followed by Ontario at 34, B.C. at nine, Alberta at four, Manitoba at two, and New Brunswick with a single case.
However, PHAC said the actual number of those ill from affected products is “likely much higher,” as many individuals may not go to the doctor if they are experiencing mild symptoms.
“Many people who became sick reported eating pistachios, and products containing pistachios, such as Dubai-style chocolate and pastry products,” the CFIA said. “The outbreak strains of Salmonella that made people sick were found in samples of recalled pistachios and samples of the recalled Dubai-style chocolate.”
Salmonella
Salmonella bacteria causes salmonella infection which can cause a range of symptoms. Not everyone who consumes salmonella will get sick from it, but those who do usually have symptoms within six hours to 72 hours, according to the CFIA.
The food agency notes that immune-compromised and elderly individuals, along with young children and pregnant women can become severely ill from salmonella, while healthy individuals are more likely to have short-term symptoms that can include throwing up, chills, cramps, fever, headache, indigestion and diarrhea. Most symptoms subside within four days to a week.
Long-term complications of salmonella usually present themselves within a month of getting sick and include severe arthritis known as Reiter’s syndrome, long-term hospitalization, and death.
