In the wake of recent pistachio recalls due to salmonella, the Food and Drug Administration is asking food processors for suggestions on new food safety guidelines of the nuts, in shells and unshelled, and as an ingredient.
In a June 29 notice in the Federal Register, the agency said it was giving the processors and other stakeholders 60 days — through the end of August — to comment on the issue.
The request was initiated after a recent investigation by FDA and the California Department of Public Health that showed salmonella contamination of pistachio-derived products.
A draft of the food safety proposal, Measures to Address the Risk for Contamination by Salmonella Species in Food Containing a Pistachio-Derived Product as an Ingredient, can be found at www.regulations.gov.
The FDA said electronic comments on the proposal can be submitted to the same Web site.