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Almond industry scrutinized

Almonds are harvested from groves near Livingston, Calif. Thirteen million pounds of raw almonds supplied by Paramount Farms in California are under recall after federal regulators received 18 reports of illness linked to almonds. If the recall continues to grow, it would have a major impact on California growers because almonds are the state's largest agricultural export. Almonds are harvested from groves near Livingston, Calif. Thirteen million pounds of raw almonds supplied by Paramount Farms in California are under recall after federal regulators received 18 reports of illness linked to almonds. If the recall continues to grow, it would have a major impact on California growers because almonds are the state's largest agricultural export. (File/Associated PressFile/Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Gary Gentile Associated Press
Almonds are harvested from groves near Livingston, Calif. Thirteen million pounds of raw almonds supplied by Paramount Farms in California are under recall after federal regulators received 18 reports of illness linked to almonds. If the recall continues to grow, it would have a major impact on California growers because almonds are the state's largest agricultural export. Almonds are harvested from groves near Livingston, Calif. Thirteen million pounds of raw almonds supplied by Paramount Farms in California are under recall after federal regulators received 18 reports of illness linked to almonds. If the recall continues to grow, it would have a major impact on California growers because almonds are the state's largest agricultural export. (File/Associated PressFile/Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

LOS ANGELES — The normally quiet almond industry has suddenly found itself struggling with a food producer’s worst nightmare: a salmonella outbreak that has sickened more than two dozen people and prompted a nationwide recall.

Federal regulators have received reports of 25 people falling ill and recalled 13 million pounds of raw almonds supplied by Paramount Farms in California. The size of the recall announced this past week is likely to grow as federal investigators continue to identify distributors and repackagers of almonds that originated from Paramount, which grows its almonds in the heart of California’s Central Valley.

The recall covers millions of packages sold under a variety of brand names across the country as well as almonds shipped to eight countries. The FDA has received reports of salmonella enteritidis, a type of food poisoning, in at least six states so far. No fatalities have been reported.

Salmonella in almonds is rare — this is only the second reported outbreak — and consumers have been stunned by the news.

“This is crazy. … I’m shocked,” said Mitra Muscarolas, a kindergarten teacher shopping Friday at a California Costco store. “I usually associate it with eggs and chicken. How do you get salmonella in almonds?”

So far, investigators have found no trace of salmonella in any of the recalled almonds or at Paramount. Experts say it is possible the outbreak may never be traced to its source.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if they never find it,” said Linda Harris, a food safety microbiologist and professor at the University of California, Davis. “It’s likely even the product that had salmonella in it had it in very low levels. It may be that all the almonds that are positive have already been consumed. The chances of finding it under those circumstances are pretty slim.”

An epidemiologist for the state of Oregon, Dr. William E. Keene, said the salmonella outbreak may have gone on for 18 months.

“This is an unusual outbreak … because the cases were so few and far between,” Keene said. “We are working with other states and countries now to establish just how far back this problem went.”

The first salmonella outbreak in almonds occurred in 2001. Traces of salmonella were found in almonds on store shelves and traced back to three farms, according to the Almond Board of California. Paramount was not involved.

“Prior to 2001, we had no knowledge of any salmonella or pathogen contamination,” said Richard Waycott, president and chief executive of the Almond Board of California. “We’ve been trying to learn as much as we can on how this could happen and preventing it.”

The industry has spent about $4 million to improve manufacturing and agricultural practices and has been examining technologies, including pasteurizing the almonds with low heat or gas, to prevent salmonella contamination, he said.

Heat, which can come from any kind of cooking, roasting or commercial processing of almonds, is usually sufficient to kill bacteria, experts said. Blue Diamond, a cooperative that represents about two-thirds of California’s almond growers, began pasteurizing their almonds three years ago after the last outbreak.

Paramount Farms has not pasteurized raw almonds in the past, but two weeks ago began to use a gas method of pasteurization for all its raw almonds, the company said.

About 5 percent of all almonds consumed in the United States are consumed raw, according to the industry. The rest are processed and used in breakfast cereals, health bars, ice cream and other products.

California accounts for 100 percent of U.S. almond production and expects production to grow by at least 50 percent over the next five years. California also produces about 80 percent of the world’s almonds. The next largest producer is Spain.