It’s like 20% empty shells! WTF! So I look under the bag hoping to find the holy grail of de-shelled pistachio heaven… But nothing!
This is Pistaccio Gate out in the open. Now I have to look over my shoulders.
Update: the bag after this one has not yet produced the same disparate amount of empty shells. It must have been a fluke!.. Or so I think!


While that is true that factories CAN be extremely detailed in their process, everything is driven by cost efficiency. If it is more efficient to process a large batch instead of a small one, what happens in this thread is what you get. There is no reason to say “oh they could remove those shells!” because it’s only a thing worth doing if it’s cost effective.
So I guess yes you’re right it’s fixable but only if it’s a problem people care about. I think it’s fundamentally crazier to think you can figure what is profitable for pistachios from a thread by some rando better than the company that makes them.
Maybe it’s a conspiracy, probably it’s process optimization.