OttawaAt least 117 people have fallen ill across Canada as part of a salmonella outbreak tied to pistachios that began earlier this year. Malaz Alfara says his products at Pistachio Choco are now safe, but he still gets concerned calls every day.At least 117 people in Canada have been taken ill in ongoing salmonella outbreakSophie Blake · CBC News · Posted: Nov 09, 2025 2:17 PM EST | Last Updated: 1 hour agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Local chocolatier describes impact of pistachio recall on businessRecent pistachio recalls are impacting businesses in Ottawa. Pistachio Choco’s owner and chocolatier says he’s constantly dealing with concerned customers.As the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) continues to issue recalls for pistachio products due to possible salmonella contamination, at least one Ottawa business owner says he’s dealing with concerned customers.”Every day we get a couple of calls regarding the pistachios,” said Malaz Alfara, the owner of Pistachio Choco, a family business that sells handmade chocolate and has locations on Bank Street and in the Rideau Centre.According to Alfara, around 90 per cent of their products include pistachios and they buy 100 kilograms of the nut every month. “I’m trying to involve the pistachio in everything,” Alfara said. “It’s very healthy and people love pistachio.”Towards the end of the summer, however, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) began investigating a salmonella outbreak tied to pistachios.By the time Alfara heard from the agency that their pistachios could be contaminated, all their affected products had already been sold, he said.Shelled pistachios are seen at Pistachio Choco. Alfara said they had already switched providers before the first recalls were issued for quality-related reasons. (Sophie Blake/CBC)”Dubai chocolate was the top seller for almost one year,” Alfara said, referring to a type of chocolate bar that went viral this year. “After the recall started, it started to [sell less]. People started to be scared a little bit.”Alfara said he had already switched pistachio providers, to a company based in Montreal, for unrelated reasons before the CFIA’s recalls began. He said that company has been inspected and their products have been deemed safe to use.Many illnesses not reported: PHACAccording to the latest data from PHAC, 117 people in Canada have fallen sick and 17 have been hospitalized — but the real number of illnesses is likely higher, said April Hexemer, one of the agency’s directors.”We’re really only looking at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the illnesses that are associated with this event,” Hexemer said. “There are [many] more illnesses in Canada that are not reported as part of the outbreak.”Of the 34 confirmed cases in Ontario, eight have been identified in the nation’s capital, according to Ottawa Public Health (OPH).The process of identifying a salmonella infection related to the outbreak can take up to 21 days to complete, OPH said.The CFIA’s most recent recalls affecting Ottawa include: Pistachios sold at Go Nuts, located at 1009 Dazé St., between May 25 and June 1 and between Sept. 27 and Oct. 4.Dubai chocolate sold at four Juice Dudez locations between May 28 and Sept. 4.Roasted pistachios sold at Shiraz Foods, located at 725 Somerset St. W., between July 30 and Aug. 6. Anyone who still has the products should throw them out or return them, wrote the CFIA. On Sept. 27, the CFIA also announced a temporary ban on pistachios being imported from Iran and asked importers to show proof their pistachio products don’t come from the country.To date, the recalled pistachios in the investigation have all been confirmed to originate in Iran, the CFIA told CBC, though they could not provide further details on any specific crop. The investigation is still ongoing.ABOUT THE AUTHORSophie Blake is a reporter for CBC Ottawa. She is currently studying at Carleton University for her bachelor of journalism. You can reach her at sophie.blake@cbc.ca.
As pistachio recalls continue, this Ottawa chocolatier is reassuring his customers
