Pistachio lovers across Canada are fed up with growing list of recalled products | Daily Hive

Pistachio lovers across Canada are going through it, and it’s not just emotional turmoil over the recent recalls.

In case you missed the news, over the last year, the number of pistachios and pistachio-containing products has continued to grow, and many people are starting to get fed up. But growing frustrations aren’t the only thing affecting Canadians.

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has recently issued a public health notice regarding the pistachio recall, showing how many people have contracted Salmonella, some of whom have needed hospitalization.

Over 150 people sick

Throughout this year, pistachios from Iran and products made with pistachios from Iran have been recalled due to Salmonella contamination, resulting in over 150 people getting sick and 24 hospitalized.

According to PHAC, Quebec leads the pack with 77 cases, while Ontario follows at 58. B.C. has reported 9 cases, Alberta has 7, Manitoba has 3, and New Brunswick has 1.

“People became sick between early March and mid November 2025. Of the cases reported, 24 people have been hospitalized and there have been no deaths. People who became sick are between 1 and 95 years of age. The majority of sick individuals are female (70%),” said PHAC.

PHAC also added that many who became sick reported eating pistachios and products containing pistachios, such as Dubai-style chocolate and pastry products.

“The outbreak strains of Salmonella that made people sick were found in samples of recalled pistachios and samples of the recalled Dubai-style chocolate. The investigation is ongoing and it is possible that additional sources may be identified,” said PHAC.

Canadians are fed up

With all the recalls, many have taken to social media to share their frustrations.

“It may be easier for the media to list foods that aren’t tainted since the numbers seem to be far less lately,” said one user online in response to a post about a pistachio recall.

“For real? What is up with all these recalls? Are we really doing worse than the us in making sure the food supply is good? I know we aren’t the greatest, but being worse than the US in this space is just wrong,” responded another.

Some people have gone to avoiding pistachios altogether. In another Reddit post, a user shared, “Personally, I stopped eating anything with pistachio several months ago. Recall after recall, it just isn’t worth the risk until it stops.”

“I wouldn’t eat anything with pistachios right now. No idea if they are part of the ones coming with foodborne pathogens on them. This is good advice, especially if you are elderly, pregnant or immunocompromised. There have been so many recalls that the government now just has a big page they add to,” added someone else.

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What you can do to not get sick

Since Sept. 27, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) 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.

Additionally, the CFIA 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, including products that were made with pistachios from Iran that are not already recalled.

Due to pistachios’ long shelf lives, products purchased months ago may still be in your pantry. PHAC recommends checking recall listings to see if your product is affected.

If you have affected products, you’re told not to consume, serve, use, sell, or distribute them, as well as not to use them in cooking or baking, because heat may not kill Salmonella in pistachios. Instead, throw out or return recalled products to their place of purchase.

Additionally, even if you have pistachio products that are not part of the recall, PHAC encourages you to check the label for the country of origin and to avoid the product if it is from Iran or if the country of origin can’t be confirmed.