ALDI Recalls Popular Item Due to Lead Poisoning Risk
ALDI shoppers need to take note of their recent purchases, because one item sold through the discount supermarket has been recalled. On March 2, ALDI voluntarily recalled their ALDI, Inc. Bee Happy 12 Days of Craft Advent Calendar due to a lead poisoning risk.
The chain described the recall as "extremely limited" in scope, only affecting 13 units that were sold in two stores in Alabama and California. The recalled advent calendars were sold in November 2021 for about $13 at the ALDI stores located at 24270 El Toro Rd, Laguna Woods and 7676 Highway 72, West Madison. The advent calendars were packaged in a house-shaped box and have the UPC code 4099100204551. Consumers are being asked to return the recalled products to their local store for a full refund.
The Bee Happy 12 Days of Craft Advent Calendar features 12 separate crafting activities – including ornaments, stickers, slime, and other projects – separated by days. The recall was issued after it was discovered that the brown bell found in "Day 10" of the advent calendar contains levels of lead that exceed the federal lead paint ban, posing a risk of lead poisoning. ALDI explained, "surface paint found on the brown bell in the "Day 10" activity was found to contain levels of lead that exceed the federal lead paint ban." Lead is a toxic substance that, when exposed to large amounts, can lead to lead poisoning. Sings and symptoms of lead poisoning include joint and muscle pain, headache, abdominal pain, and mood disorders, among others. Symptoms typically don't appear until dangerous amounts have accumulated, according to Mayo Clinic. Infants, young children, and a developing fetus can experience more severe symptoms.
"While ALDI is committed to providing only the best quality at the lowest prices, our top priority is the safety of you and your family. From developing stringent standards to working with trusted manufacturers on product quality and testing, every measure possible is taken to fulfill that promise," ALDI says of its recall response. "From time to time in the retail world, questions regarding a product's quality or safety—or errors in its packaging or shipment—may arise. On those rare occasions, ALDI has a plan to swiftly and effectively remove such products from the store. A "pull-from-sale" alert from either the manufacturer of the suspect product or our own Corporate Buying Department will trigger a rapid response plan for handling recalls. Products that do not meet ALDI or government standards in any of these areas will be efficiently and effectively removed from sale."
The Bee Happy 12 Days of Craft Advent Calendar is the latest recall ALDI has issued. In mid-February, the chain recalled La Fiesta Food Products, Inc.'s Saladitos Con Chile (Salted Plums with Chili) due to potential led contamination. A month earlier, ALDI expanded their recall of certain Little Salad Bar products after Listeria was detected on harvesting equipment. No illnesses were reported in connection to any of the recalls.