MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE) President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) to test all pistachio products in the market for salmonella contamination.

She also ordered a “swift and relentless” pullout of all products contaminated with the virus, her spokesman said Thursday.

The BFAD has warned the public against consuming pistachio products from California-based Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc., which was being investigated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for salmonella contamination.

“Because of the President’s instructions to make sure that the market is safe from salmonella, the BFAD is sampling all pistachio products, even if not related [to Setton Pistachio],” deputy presidential spokesman Anthony Golez said.

“The President ordered the DoH [Department of Health], through the BFAD, to be relentless and swift in taking from our markets all products believed to be contaminated by salmonella,” he said.

The BFAD has issued an advisory warning the public against a number of US-made pistachio products recalled or withdrawn in the US market because of possible risk of Salmonella contamination.

The government regulatory agency posted the list of recalled products in its website,
www.bfad.gov.ph.

“The BFAD is working closely with the pistachio importers and distributors (and) immediately initiated the conduct of sampling of imported pistachio and pistachio-containing products, and will determine if there is Salmonella contamination,” BFAD Director Leticia Gutierrez said.

BFA warned consumers not to eat the recalled products and to “postpone eating other pistachio containing products until information becomes available about whether that product may be affected.”

Meanwhile, Golez said BFAD has completed the first wave of the recall of Yummy and Ludy’s brand peanut butter, which were found to be contaminated with salmonella.