Bugs in Pistachios

[Anonymous]

Pistschios are ruined for me. I was taking a handful out of the bag when I noticed a bug crawling up from my handful of nuts. It was alive. Kind of moth-like wings but much smaller and narrow. Size of a house fly.

Ugh I'm so disgusted. I googled it and apparently it is very very common to find bugs in pistachios. I love them and feel they are ruined for me now. I know bugs are in foods but this was a new level of gross.

[Anonymous]

Where are you buying them? I have never seen bugs in the nuts I buy from Trader Joes.

[Anonymous]

I lived in Iran as a kid where pistachios are plentiful. There were bugs in just about every food there. After shelling the pistachio we always knew to look for a worm hole. They tended to be sold freshly roasted so at least the worms were dead.

[Anonymous]

I had this happen to me once when the nit was 90% of the way to my mouth. I haven’t eaten pistachios since, although I do still enjoy pistachio ice cream or cake.

[Anonymous]

I once bit into a date and found it filled with bug larvae.
I haven't been able to eat dates, or anything with dates in it (many energy bars!), since.

[Anonymous]

Could you buy shelled pistachios?

[Anonymous]

Good lord. You people eat bugs, bug parts, eat feces and all manner of other stuff you don’t want to think about. Likes pounds of it every year. Don’t let a little bug ruin it all.

[Anonymous]

Ugh, I kept trying to get my kids to eat almonds but they don't like them. I finally gave up and offered pistachios which they all love. I did not want to see this thread.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone experienced this with the main brand in the black bag with the funny commercials? This is so gross and I’m so thankful I haven’t had this (that I’m aware of).

[Anonymous]

I have a friend in NM who sends me ground chile periodically and there was a package I had never opened (usually I put in a jar in the freezer), went to use it and saw grubs crawling around. This was a week after I opened a bag of currants I'd apparently had longer than I realized, no bugs but there was some webby stuff which tells you there's an infestation.

MOST dry food has bug eggs hiding and if it goes too long the eggs hatch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I lived in Iran as a kid where pistachios are plentiful. There were bugs in just about every food there. After shelling the pistachio we always knew to look for a worm hole. They tended to be sold freshly roasted so at least the worms were dead.

The old bubble gum wrapper joke: what's worse than finding a worm in an apple? finding half a worm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I once bit into a date and found it filled with bug larvae.
I haven't been able to eat dates, or anything with dates in it (many energy bars!), since.

That’s why I always split the date open, closely examine it, and then eat it!

[Anonymous]

OP again. It was an adult 'navel orangeworm'.

They were premium roasted pistachios saffron lime flavor. I've bought them in a few different stores. I'm so grossed out that it was alive in the bag. I don't know how many more of the nuts had worms. I had already ate 10 or so a few days ago. I've bought this brand lots before without issue. (At least I think without issue).

It is suggested that if you find a bug in your nuts that you get rid of all of them due to possible fungal issues.

I like the shelling part of eating pistachios but don't want a live infested product in my pantry... or to have good nuts touching infested ones in the bag given the egg laying... Once I found a few bugs cooked into bakery buns (two separate occasions) but those were dead and didn't bother me as much. I just told the store both times and took a break from shopping there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone experienced this with the main brand in the black bag with the funny commercials? This is so gross and I’m so thankful I haven’t had this (that I’m aware of).

Yes, I have.

[Anonymous]

In pretending that I never read any of this.