Four sick across two states as health officials warn of salmonella tied to pistachio spread

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A salmonella outbreak has left four people sick and health officials warning about a dessert spread.

Three people in Minnesota and one in New Jersey fell ill between March 10 and May 19, including one person who was hospitalized.

The outbreak is tied to Emek brand pistachio cream with a use-by date of Oct. 19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The cream, a nut butter spread, is used in desserts and other dishes, federal health officials said Monday.

Four people have been sick with salmonella and health officials tied it to an pistachio cream. (CDC)

The spread, which may be packaged in 11-pound tubs, was imported from Turkey and sold online to wholesale distributors, restaurants and food service locations nationwide. It has a production code of 241019.

The product should not be sold, distributed or served, the CDC said.

Symptoms of salmonella poisoning can occur within hours or days of consuming contaminated food and include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. Most people recover within a week, but some can become sick enough to be hospitalized. Young children, people older than 65 and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk.

According to the CDC, Salmonella is responsible for 1.35 million infections each year. Of those, about 26,500 are hospitalized and 420 are killed annually.

Roughly 23 percent of Salmonella cases come from eating chicken and turkey.