Frito Lay Canada is recalling a brand of pistachio nuts over concerns the product may be contaminated with salmonella.

The company and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency are warning the public not to consume Munchies brand pistachios. The affected product is sold in 50-gram packages (UPC 0 60410 04595 4) bearing dates between Aug. 4 and Dec. 15, 2009 and was distributed nationally.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the product.

The CFIA says Munchies brand pistachios contains nuts linked to the U.S. recall by the California-based pistachio processor, Setton Pistachio. For more information, consumers can call one of the following numbers:

  • Frito Lay Canada Consumer Affairs at 1-800-376-2257
  • CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735

Meanwhile in the U.S., food safety officials are warning consumers to stop eating all foods containing pistachios, because of the possibility of salmonella.

"Our advice to consumers is that they avoid eating pistachio products, and that they hold onto those products," said Dr. David Acheson, assistant commissioner for food safety at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

"The number of products that are going to be recalled over the coming days will grow, simply because these pistachio nuts have then been repackaged into consumer-level containers."

The FDA said Tuesday it was conducting genetic testing of samples to see if there were a link between pistachios and several illnesses reported by U.S. consumers.

Setton Farms is voluntarily recalling its entire 2008 crop -- more than 900,000 kilograms of nuts -- as the investigation continues.

The recalled nuts were shipped on or after September 1, 2008. The recall affects bulk roasted in-shell and roasted shelled pistachios distributed throughout the United States.

Garfield Balsom, a food recall specialist at the CFIA, told CTV.ca Tuesday that the agency is still investigating to see if any of the recalled product entered Canada.

The FDA learned about the problem last Tuesday, when Kraft Foods Inc. notified the agency that it had detected salmonella in roasted pistachios through routine product testing.

Kraft and the Georgia Nut Co. recalled their Back to Nature Nantucket Blend trail mix the next day. The FDA contacted Setton Farms and California health officials shortly afterward.

Salmonella, the most common cause of food-borne illness, causes diarrhea, fever and cramping. The bacteria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

This recall comes on the heels of a massive recall of peanut products from Peanut Corporation of America - also because of salmonella

The investigation into that outbreak is still ongoing. Nearly 3,900 products made with peanut ingredients from Peanut Corp of America have been recalled, along with dozens of products in Canada.

PCA has since filed for bankruptcy.

While more than 690 people in 46 states have gotten sick from contaminated peanuts, there have been no confirmed illnesses in Canada linked to the products.

The pistachio and peanut recalls are not connected.