Urgent health food recall: These plant-based crumbles are sending people to the hospital

Daily Harvest received about 470 reports of illness or adverse reactions connected to one of its products. The company is investigating the issue in cooperation with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). But that also means Daily Harvest had to issue a recall for its French Lentil + Leek Crumbles. All product lots are part of the recall, so customers who have French Lentil + Leek Crumbles at home should avoid eating it at all costs.

Daily Harvest French Lentil + Leek Crumbles recall

The company issued the recall this week, a few days after acknowledging the health issues connected with the food product. The FDA also published the latest version of the recall announcement last night at this link.

Daily Harvest says it has distributed about 28,000 units of the product in the recall to customers across the US. The French Lentil + Leek Crumbles were available online and through its stores in Chicago and Los Angeles.

The product comes frozen in a 12oz white pouch with the words “Daily Harvest” at the top. “CRUMBLES” appears immediately below that. Also, the words “French Lentil + Leek” are printed in bold, as seen in the image below.

The mysterious gastrointestinal issues

Daily Harvest says it received about 470 reports of illness or adverse reactions. But it’s unclear what might be causing these issues. According to the FDA recall announcement dated June 23rd, customers experienced gastrointestinal illness and potential liver problems.

There’s no mention of food poisoning, which can happen when foods and drinks are contaminated with dangerous bacteria.

The original announcement on the company’s website mentioned the gastrointestinal problems without going into specifics. A June 22nd update said that the pathogen and toxicology results have been negative so far, but “extensive testing” is still underway.

Daily Harvest customers who purchased the product in the recall took to social media to complain. Per FoodSafetyNews.com, one Redditor said their wife had spent two days in the hospital with liver damage after eating the Daily Harvest food.

Another person said they suffered “debilitating stomach pain”. The mother of a third ”was as sick as a dog and puking a lot” the morning after consuming the recalled Daily Harvest product.

Redditors reacting to the recall announcement echoed those sentiments. One person said their significant other experienced “what she described as ‘the worst pain she’s ever felt’ in her abdomen for 12+ hours.”

The Daily Harvest subreddit has more accounts.

What you should do

If you own any French Lentil + Leek Crumbles from the Daily Harvest recall, you should stop eating them right away. The company says in its announcement that it’s already contacting all known customers and issuing refunds.

Moreover, if you’ve experienced unexplained gastrointestinal symptoms, you should contact a doctor immediately.

Finally, you should read the full recall press release on the FDA website. But also keep an eye on the Daily Harvest announcement, which includes additional details about the recall.