When we first noted a small-ish recall which were recalled yesterday and, at first blush, the alert looks as if it could be as widespread and enormous as the peanut butter recall (mollified a little by the fact peanuts are far more ubiquitous than pistachios). recall of canned pistachios early yesterday, it was limited to Kroger (NYSE: KR) and, frankly, made little in the way of waves. Later, the news began to hearken to the beginning of the peanut recall, in which I wondered how many foods could be impacted (oh, I had no idea!). The pistachio nuts' originator, Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, Calif., decided to recall its 2008 crop after Kraft (NYSE: KFT) tested some of its pistachio-containing products and found "several types of salmonella." Where the possibly tainted pistachios ended up isn't clear, but Kraft pulled a trail mix with pistachios.

The nuts were sent in 1,000-pound and 2000-pound bags to wholesalers, who then parceled the pistachios further to redistribute them among retailers and manufacturers. As I wrote on DailyFinance, this is yet another example of a food industry that is built on logistics, not food; quality ingredients are marketing, not reality. Neither Kroger nor Kraft nor even (to point a finger at random) Unilever's Haagen-Dazs ice cream can trace to the individual farm the origin of all of their ingredients, no matter how many times the packaging mentions it.

It's further proof that food safety is not truly possible in the industry as it currently stands.

Anyone out there like pistachios? Can't say that I do, what with turning my fingers green and all that, I'll settle for a nice, meaty cashew any day. Ah, but I digress. If you are a pistachio lover, and a Kroger (NYSE: KR) shopper, you may want to pay special attention.

On Friday, KR recalled a line of its pistachios because of a potential salmonella contamination. KR announced a recall of the "Private Selection" shelled pistachios sold in 10-ounce containers with a December 13, 2009 sell-by date, UPC number 1111073615.

The company stated that no illnesses have been reported in connection with the product, and it would give no idea of how the pistachios were exposed to salmonella. The nuts were sold at 17 of KR's chains in 31 states, including Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Fry's, King Soopers, Smith's, Dillons QFC, City Market, Foods Co., Jay C., Scott's, Owen's, Baker's, Gerbes, Hilander, and Pay Less.

The timing of this announcement could be bad for KR, as its shares have started to perk up of late. The grocer was trading near the $27 region when the year started, but has fallen as low as the $19 region in the first three months of 2009. That said, the stock has rallied a bit and is trading in the lower $22 region.

Hopefully this recall won't affect the stock's price, but don't count out a bit of a drop thanks to the news. As to how far the stock could fall, that is anybody's guess. This follows closely on the heels of the big peanut salmonella case earlier this year.