Food safety may not be on your list of reasons to buy local, but it should be. Whether it's a spinach, meat, or peanut recall, consumers are increasingly concerned about the safety of foods they purchase. Buying from small and medium sized local farms, however, can eliminate some of those concerns and uncertainties. The recent pistachio recall provides a great example of this.

In late March, the Food and Drug Administration reported a pistachio recall from Setton Pistachio in California, and a warning was issued to consumers due to a possible salmonella contamination of the nuts. From the time of that warning, Setton has recalled over 2 million pounds and they were advised by the FDA to expand their recall when salmonella was found at the processing facility. 

New Mexico grown and processed pistachios however, such as those from Heart of the Desert, are safe to eat and are not connected to the Setton Pistachios out of California. From the Las Cruces Sun News:

New Mexico has 126 farms harvesting around 1,350 acres of pistachios. Almost all of New Mexico's pistachios are grown in the desert climate of Otero County between Alamogordo and Tularosa.

The vast majority of New Mexico's pistachios are processed in Otero County and the state's processors do not receive nuts from Setton Pistachios, said Richard Heerema, pistachio and pecan specialist with New Mexico State University's Cooperative Extension Service. Link to full article

So is buying local always safer? The answer to that really depends on the cleanliness and practices of the farm and processing facility, but with local small and medium sized farming operations:

• There is more traceability of food, as smaller producers often sell directly to the public
• You can usually talk directly to the farmer or owner about their farming operations, or visit the farm and see first hand
• The smaller size of our local family farming operations means that there are fewer workers and smaller facilities, which provides less opportunity for error or contamination when compared to large scale or industrial sized producers

Local New Mexico pistachios are available at a variety of stores in our area, such as La Montanita Coop and Whole Foods, and they can also be purchased online or directly from the farm.