An outbreak of potentially “life-threatening” allergic reactions has prompted the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue a recall notice for cookies in nine states and the District of Columbia.
On Monday, the FDA issued a recall notice regarding macarons distributed by the German discount retailer Lidl across its over 170 locations in the United States. The voluntary recall, which was initially announced on Friday, concerns macaron containers bearing the “Party Edition” label and bearing the “Deluxe” brand.
“Lidl US has announced a voluntary recall of Deluxe branded Macarons Party Edition due to undeclared allergens,” according to the announcement. “The recall was issued due to undeclared wheat, soy, egg, milk, and tree nuts (almonds, pistachios, and coconut) in the products as a result of non-English ingredient labeling.”
“Those with known allergies to any of these substances should avoid consuming these items, as doing so could result in severe or potentially fatal allergic reactions.” It continues, “As of this moment, Lidl US has not received any reports or complaints of illness associated with this product.”
YouTube Sensation Rapper Pleads Guilty To Federal Charges In Los Angeles
According to Lidl, every impacted product is identified by the UPC barcode 4056489365365. The following states and territories carried the macarons: Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
According to Lidl’s announcement, “the problem was identified internally after its distribution to our retail locations.” Customers were issued a warning against the consumption of the product and strongly encouraged to “immediately return it to their nearest Lidl store for a full refund” without the requirement of a receipt.
For any additional inquiries regarding the recall, individuals are requested to contact the company’s U.S. customer care hotline (844)-747-5435, which is operational from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
While there were no reported cases of illness among individuals who consumed the contaminated Lidl macarons, the presence of undeclared ingredients may give rise to anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction.
A recall was initiated earlier this year for Florentine cookies distributed by Stew Leonard’s, a northeastern supermarket chain based in Connecticut. The recall was prompted by the unintentional ingestion of the cookies by a woman in January, who tragically discovered that they contained undeclared peanuts.
NBC New York reported that the victim was Örla Baxendale, a 25-year-old British national who had relocated to New York City in pursuit of a vocation as a “world-class” dancer.
Cookie United, the supplier of the cookies, and Stew Leonard both issued statements that appeared to assign blame for the calamity to the other. In their respective statements, Cookie United claimed that the ingredient list had been updated but that the supermarket chain’s assertion that the product originated from an “outside” company was unfounded.