Pecan and Walnut Food Safety Concerns: A Mini Review

Consumption of tree nuts in the U.S. and worldwide is growing rapidly due to the health benefits associated with the nuts. Unfortunately, tree nuts are also notoriously associated with numerous foodborne illness outbreaks and recalls. This review focuses on food safety concerns related to growing, harvesting, and shelling pecans and walnuts in the U.S. The review provides a brief overview of pecan and walnut production and processing practices in the U.S. The review also details common routes of foodborne pathogen contamination of tree nuts and the risk reduction strategies utilized by the nut industry. The role of Good Agricultural Practices, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Plan, and Food Safety Modernization Act in improving the overall microbial safety of pecans and walnuts are also discussed in the article.