Statement from Mia Cohen/COO, Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc. on resuming roasted pistachio product production

Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, Inc. returned to fully normal operations and resumed full production of roasted pistachio products at its Terra Bella, California plant on Monday, June 1st 2009, following a voluntary recall of roasted shelled pistachios and roasted in-shell pistachios. We have taken aggressive and comprehensive actions to enhance our facility and process and we are very pleased that our Terra Bella plant will be processing our delicious and high-quality roasted pistachio products.

The recall at the end of March was conducted voluntarily as a precaution due to the potential for Salmonella contamination in the roasted pistachio product. And while no confirmed illnesses have been conclusively linked to the recalled products, we have nevertheless taken aggressive steps to assure the safety and wholesomeness of our pistachios.

When the recall was announced, Setton Pistachio immediately voluntarily ceased production and shipments of all roasted products at the Terra Bella plant. Working closely with local, state and federal regulators on the recall, we have undertaken significant changes to ensure safe production, including segregating raw and ready-to-eat products and implementing additional screening of raw and final products.

In addition, Setton Pistachio has made significant upgrades to thoroughly modernize and redesign our processing facility in California to meet significantly stricter food safety standards, such as upgrading a portion of the physical structure of the facility, upgrading components of the roasters, installing new machinery and equipment and state-of-the-art sanitization equipment. We have also implemented industry-leading procedures for agricultural practices and a vendor and customer certification system for our supply chain partners. This plan was put in place with the guidance of third-party food safety experts and parallels the successful practices of other food industries.