On June 17th the Daily Harvest food delivery service  initiated a voluntary recall of French Lentil + Leek Crumbles  after almost 100 people were hospitalized and hundreds became ill from eating the product.

Working closely with the FDA, the CDC as well as doctors, microbiologists, toxicologists and three independent labs over the past four weeks, the company launched an investigation to determine the source of the problem.

According to founder  Rachel Drori, possibilities, including processing issues or infection, the following were ruled out: Hepatitis A, Norovirus, a range of mycotoxins, including aflatoxins, food-borne pathogens including Listeria, E.Coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus Aureus (Staph), B.Cereus, and Clostridium Species and major allergens including egg, soy, milk, and gluten. Testing also confirmed there are no pesticides or the presence of heavy metal levels that would have caused the reported adverse effects. 

“At this time, we have identified tara flour as the cause of the issue,” Drori announced in a letter today. “ Our extensive investigation has involved many experts analyzing data from all sources. We have only used this ingredient in French Lentil + Leek Crumbles and we are no longer sourcing from this producer who does not provide any ingredients for our 140 plus other items. This was the first and only time we’ve used tara flour, which has been available and used in the North American market as a plant-based source of protein prior to our use. Our investigation team will continue working with the FDA, the tara flour producer and others to help determine what specifically made people sick.” 

“As we’ve continued our testing sequencing over the past four weeks and reviewed consumer reports and medical records (including analysis by medical toxicologists and food safety experts), the data has repeatedly indicated that the issue is isolated to French Lentil + Leek Crumbles.”

Tara seed flour  comes from the Tara Tree, which grows in the Andes Highlands of Peru and is often used in vegan preparations because of its high protein, low carb  content.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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