Wonderful Pistachios, a Californian-based Pistachio producer, has issued a temporary recall of its packaged pistachios after acknowledging that 11 people fell ill after consuming nuts, which is being linked to recent salmonella food poisoning. The illnesses were reported between December 12 and February 10 in nine US states. The company has recalled several batches of Pistachios and has informed retailers and authorities.

According to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, so far Washington, Arizona, Michigan, Virginia, Connecticut, Alabama, Georgia, North Dakota and Minnesota have experienced cases of salmonella in nuts that caused illnesses. There are no reports of deaths till now.

This recall is the first ever in 30 years of history of Wonderful Pistachios. The producer has recalled 23 products from market.

California contributes about 98% of total production of pistachios in the United States. Wonderful Pistachios is the largest fruit and nut grower in the world, with nearly 100,000 acres of groves in the Central Valley, most of them in Tulare, Kings and Kern counties.

The company has mentioned through email that in the recent years, it has invested $50 million for initiatives such as food safety, facility upgrades, better sanitation practices and increased lab testing.

“We take food safety matters very seriously and are cooperating with health officials. Effective immediately, we are implementing augmented food-safety and testing protocols,” confirmed the company in an email.

The packages which were distributed ranged from five ounces to 25-pound each in size. These were distributed across the nation and to Canada, Mexico and Peru. Wonderful has posted online a list of 13-digit product codes on packages of pistachios considered at risk of contamination. The company is advising customers to return the packages to stores if they have affected lots with them.