First, peanut butter. Then, tomatoes. Then, peanut butter again. Now, pistachios?

Before you say “Nuts!” to all nuts, keep in mind they may be fine. But until the Food and Drug Administration completes a probe into possible salmonella food poisoning in pistachios, the feds are advising Americans to squirrel away those nuts until the “all clear” sounds.

That advice isn’t aimed just at pistachios themselves, but at any product which contains them, from trail mix to ice cream. Again, it may not be contaminated. But since those products have a long shelf life anyway, why not wait until the FDA has proven them A-OK?

Meanwhile, its staff peers at pistachios in light of a report from Kraft Foods Inc. that it found salmonella in roasted pistachios during routine testing. These tainted nuts were traced to Setton Farms in central California, near Fresno, reports CNN.com.

As a result — and even before the FDA chimed in — Kraft took its Back to Nature Trail Mix off shelves. In addition, Setton recalled its products, and national grocery chain Kroger — in 31 states, including Texas — recalled from its stores all stocks of Private Selection shelled pistachios.

Face it: Americans are understandably wary of food products which might harbor salmonella, a bacterium which can cause severe digestive disorders. Food-fool me once, shame on you. Food-fool me twice, shame on me. Now where’s the garbage disposal?

But let’s not start inflicting our grinding and shredding wrath on poor pistachios until we know they’re a no-go. In the meantime, be alert to salmonella food poisoning symptoms, which include diarrhea, vomiting, fever, abdominal cramps and — when it’s too late — loss of appetite.

For most sufferers, salmonella can be weathered with multiple trips to the bathroom. But for infants, the elderly or those with low immunity systems, salmonella food poisoning can be dangerous and even can require extensive salmonella treatment.

Again, there’s no need to toss your pistachios or pistachio products in the trash or the disposal. They may prove to be fine. But it’s also wise to let the FDA do its job before taking a chance on some potentially nasty nuts. Eat something else in the meantime — like that peanut butter which now looks stomach-worthy.

It wasn’t always so. Americans have suffered salmonella food poisoning from a variety of sources in the last few years — including peanut butter — and in each case, a salmonella food poisoning attorney or salmonella lawyer from Jim S. Adler & Associates has stood ready to protect their legal rights.

Such suffering can be costly, and that cost should be borne by the manufacturers and suppliers whose negligence caused it. Keep that in mind while waiting out this latest food scare, and then, when the coast is clear, happy eating. Who knows? When pistachios are declared safe, they may even taste better than ever.

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