(UnitedHeadlines.com) – On June 12, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a voluntary recall for “Tuscan Salad Bowls” produced by Heinen’s in Warrensville Heights, Ohio, due to a potential undeclared ingredient that could trigger a dangerous allergic reaction.
The label on prepackaged salads sold at Heinen’s retail locations in Illinois and Ohio fails to state that the product could contain pecans. The presence of pecans can cause those with an allergy to suffer the potentially fatal condition of anaphylaxis. The salad packages affected by the recall had a sell by date of June 2 and a UPC code of “2-08888- 40849-3.”
After realizing the product had been distributed without disclosing the potential presence of pecans, Heinen’s initiated the recall on May 30. Customers were encouraged to discard the product or return it to local Heinen’s to receive a refund.
The FDA posted a recall announcement on its website on June 12, stating that people should avoid eating the salad if they have “an allergy or severe sensitivity to pecans.”
Though there have been no reported allergic reactions, it is unclear why there was a 12-day delay between when the company announced the recall and when the FDA posted an announcement.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a similar public health alert on June 17 for Ready Pac “Bistro Grande Southwestern Style” bowls sold in Nevada and California. According to FSIS, some packages were potentially mislabeled and contained chicken Caesar salad, which contains the potential allergens of anchovies and wheat.
However, FSIS noted the salad bowls were no longer being sold at stores and, therefore, were not being recalled but that it was issuing the public health alert as the “product may be in consumers’ refrigerators.”
A similar incident in 2023 involving Florentine cookies sold by the Connecticut supermarket chain Stew Leonard resulted in the death of a woman who consumed the product without realizing it contained peanuts.
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