Many Very Ill After Eating Daily Harvest Lentil Crumbles

FRIDAY, July 1, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Fallout is mounting for the food delivery service Daily Harvest, which has voluntarily recalled a frozen food product suspected of sickening hundreds of customers in at least 26 states.

The company said it had received nearly 500 reports of people getting sick after eating Daily Harvest French Lentil + Leek Crumbles. Symptoms included gastrointestinal illness and liver and gallbladder dysfunction. Daily Harvest initiated a voluntary recall of the product on June 23. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said consumers, retailers and others should not eat, sell, or serve the product.

So far 133 adverse illness events can possibly be attributed to the crumbles, including 42 hospitalizations, according to the FDA. The product, touted on social media by high-profile influencers, was shipped nationwide. Illnesses have been reported in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington state, and Wisconsin. The most recent reported illness was June 21.

The FDA is investigating in conjunction with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It said the company sent about 28,000 units of the product to U.S. consumers between April 28 and June 17. A small number of consumers received samples.

The company contacted consumers for whom it had contact information and issued a credit, according to the FDA. Those who may still have the product in their freezers should throw it out. All lot codes of the French Lentil + Leek Crumbles are affected. The product is packaged in a 12-ounce white pouch with the words "Daily Harvest" at the top, a large "CRUMBLES" immediately below the top and the words "French Lentil + Leek" in bold.

The FDA said anyone who experiences jaundice, dark urine, itching with no rash, gastrointestinal illness, nausea, fatigue, body aches, severe abdominal pain and/or fever after consuming this product should contact their health care provider. Providers should report these illnesses to their local health department, the FDA said.

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