Elgin's Sanfilippo waits to see impact of nut recall

John B. Sanfilippo and Son Inc., an Elgin nut-and-snack company that posted a $6 million loss during fiscal 2008, said Wednesday it is recalling pistachio products nationwide under the Flavor Tree and Fisher brands as well as certain private labels.

The company will evaluate the overall financial impact of the voluntary recall by Thursday. If a major loss is expected, the company will be required to do a special filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, also possibly as early as Thursday.

"We need to see if there will be a material impact and we just don't know that at this time," said company Chief Financial Officer Michael Valentine.

On Tuesday, Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc. began the massive recall for roasted shelled and in-shell pistachio products due to possible salmonella contamination.

Sanfilippo has not received any reports of illness related to its products, but it is doing the recall "as a precautionary measure because the product may be contaminated with salmonella."

The Sanfilippo products are under the Flavor Tree brand sold at Whole Foods stores, the Fisher brand available through various stores, as well as private label and contract manufacturers. Valentine declined to name those private labels.

The company is asking customers not to eat any of the pistachio products and to return them to the store for a refund. If you have questions about these products, call Sanfilippo toll-free at (800) 874-8734 Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Elgin company was not involved in another recent massive recall involving peanuts from the Peanut Corp. of America, which also was connected to salmonella contamination.

Sanfilippo is a longtime manufacturer that posted a $6 million loss last June as part of its fiscal 2008 annual report. However, its most recent second quarter that ended in December, posted a $5.8 million profit.