Ghirardelli Chocolate Company is voluntarily recalling certain hot cocoa mixes and other powdered beverage products due to fears they may be contaminated with salmonella, according to an alert by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Newsweek reached out to the company via online form on Wednesday night for comment. Per the automated message heard when Newsweek also called the company, no illnesses have been reported to date.
Numerous recalls have been initiated in the past year because of potentially damaged products, foodborne illness, undeclared food allergens or the potential for bacteria.
Millions of Americans experience food sensitivities or food allergies every year. According to the FDA, the nine “major” food allergens in the United States are eggs, milk, fish, wheat, soybeans, crustacean shellfish, sesame, tree nuts and peanuts.
According to the alert, the recalled products are in large package formats intended for “food service and institutional customers.” The products may also have been sold via e-commerce platforms.
The alert lists which products are impacted along with corresponding lot numbers and best if used by dates. Photos of the recalled products are also on the alert.
People who have purchased the recalled powdered mixes may contact Ghirardelli Chocolate Company directly via phone at 1-844-776-0419 every day of the week and 24 hours a day.
The alert warns in part that salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in people with weakened immune systems, older and frail adults, as well as young children.
In an email to Newsweek last year, the FDA said: “Most recalls in the U.S. are carried out voluntarily by the product manufacturer and when a company issues a public warning, typically via news release, to inform the public of a voluntary product recall, the FDA shares that release on our website as a public service.
“The FDA’s role during a voluntary, firm-initiated, recall is to review the recall strategy, evaluate the health hazard presented by the product, monitor the recall, and as appropriate alert the public and other companies in the supply chain about the recall.
“The FDA provides public access to information on recalls by posting a listing of recalls according to their classification in the FDA Enforcement Report, including the specific action taken by the recalling company. The FDA Enforcement Report is designed to provide a public listing of products in the marketplace that are being recalled.”
Additional information on recalls can be found via the FDA’s Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts.
Read the full article here
