A nationwide recall has been issued for halva products potentially containing salmonella, as several ongoing recalls of various pistachio-related products are also taking place.
The recall, issued Aug. 26 by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) after testing, is for Shaikh Al Kar brand plain halva. The brand of halva was sold in 400-gram containers in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Quebec.
Halva is a sweet treat that is popular in the Middle East and South and Central Asia, usually made from ground sesame seeds mixed with sugar or honey, as well as sometimes additives such as pistachios. It is often served as blocks or slices as a dessert, or as a spread to put onto bread or biscuits. It is also often baked into pastries such as cookies or cakes, or sometimes consumed freshly after being cooked in pudding form.
The CFIA warns that salmonella poses a serious danger to the public and can be fatal in some cases.
“Food contaminated with salmonella may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick. Young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems may contract serious and sometimes deadly infections,” the CFIA noted, adding that healthy individuals may still experience short-term symptoms such as nauseau, diarrhea, cramps, and a potential long-term risk of “severe arthritis.”
The potentially serious illnesses resulting from salmonella can incubate for 15 to 55 days after ingesting it.
The Shaikh Al Kar recall comes amid a larger withdrawal of 15 pistachio-related products from Canadian shelves issued Aug. 26 by the CFIA, including ice cream, cookies, and chocolate bars sold between April and June of this year. The CFIA says the wider outbreak has resulted in 10 hospitalizations and 62 reports of sickness after consuming the products.
The Shaikh Al Kar recall is categorized as Class 2, which means it has a moderate risk of short-term and usually non-life-threatening symptoms.
According to Shaikh Al Kar’s website, its flagship factory is one of the largest in the Middle East producing halva and tahini and was founded in 2014 in Amman, Jordan, along with an additional factory opened in another area of Amman in 2019.
According to a 2018 research paper by professors at the University of California—Davis, salmonella contamination of pistachios can occur in various situations, including being exposed to animals, soil, and dirty water or equipment in the harvesting process. Nuts that do become contaminated with salmonella are particularly likely to continue being contaminated if they are being processed in a humid or hot climate.
The Government of Canada advises preventing salmonella by fully washing hands and following food safety guidelines, avoiding dirty restaurants and eating areas, and by reporting any suspected case of food poisoning to the appropriate authorities.
