South Korea Recalls, Bans Sale of U.S. Setton Farms Pistachios

By Heejin Koo

April 4 (Bloomberg) -- South Korea ordered the recall and banned sales of pistachios made by Setton Farms of Terra Bella, California, following similar moves by U.S. regulators because of possible salmonella contamination.

The recall applies to 13,608 kilograms (30,000 pounds) of pistachios packaged after June 4, 2008, imported to South Korea through the supplier’s affiliate Setton International Foods, the Korea Food & Drug Administration said in an e-mailed statement.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on March 30 recalled at least a million pounds of pistachios following Kraft Foods Inc.’s discovery of bacteria in the Setton Farms products. No illnesses have been confirmed, though two consumers submitted complaints to the FDA.

To contact the reporter on this story: Heejin Koo in Seoul at hjkoo@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: April 4, 2009 02:43 EDT