Federal officials continue to receive complaints of illnesses associated with frozen “Lentil & Leek Crumbles” sold by Daily Harvest.
As of Sept. 15 the Food and Drug Administration had received 386 consumer complaints, up from 369 complaints reported on Aug. 25. The most recent illness onset date is Sept. 4, but additional sick people may not yet be counted in the FDA tally.
Sick people have reported gastrointestinal illness and abnormal liver function, according to the FDA. Additionally, at least 25 patients have had to have their gall bladders removed. Of known patients, 130 have required hospitalization.
In June Daily Harvest corporate officials reported that the company had received 470 complaints from customers who began receiving the product in April.
The company initiated a recall of its Lentil & Leek Crumbles on June 17. All lot numbers of the product are subject to the recall. Consumers are urged to check their freezers to see if they have the product. If so, the company and FDA say it should be immediately discarded.
Subsequent testing has shown that the product contained an ingredient called tara, which is not used in any other Daily Harvest products, according to the company.
The FDA’s investigation is ongoing. The agency has begun traceback efforts and on-site inspection has been initiated. Product testing continues. State health departments and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are assisting with the investigation.
The product was sold through online sales and in two retail locations: the Daily Harvest store in Chicago, IL, and a “pop-up” store in Los Angeles, CA.
Known sick people live in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
Anyone who has eaten or handled Daily Harvest Lentil & Leek Crumbles and developed any of the following symptoms should contact their doctors: yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), dark urine, itching with no rash, gastrointestinal illness, nausea, fatigue, body aches, severe abdominal pain and/or fever. Healthcare providers should report these illnesses to their health department.
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