'Urgent' Sprouts Product Recall Issued

Sprouts Farmers Market issued a recall for dark chocolate-covered cherries on Friday due to an undeclared allergen present. According to the recall notice posted on the FDA website, a certain lot of the product may contain almonds without a warning on the label. Customers are asked to return or destroy these packages to ensure that people with nut allergies don't eat them by mistake.

The recall was issued by the company Torn & Glasser which produces the Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries sold in Sprouts Farmer's Market stores. The 12-ounce packages of these cherries were mistakenly contaminated with Dark Chocolate Almonds, and some almonds may be present within the containers. Almonds are tree nuts, to which many people may have an allergic reaction. In some cases, these allergies can even be life-threatening.

Thankfully, there have been no incidents reported in connection with this mixup so far, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants to keep it that way. The agency is working with Torn & Glasser and Sprouts to get the word out about this recall and it is asking consumers to take it seriously. The product lot impacted by the recall is called "Sprouts Farmers Market Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries 12 oz," and it has a "sell by " date of July 24, 2022. The case lot number is 795935 and the bag lot number is 3001 A, while the UPC code is 6 46670 46342 6.

The recalled cherries have been on sale since Nov. 3, 2021 in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. Customers who can verify that they have the affected product can return it to the place of purchase for a full refund or simply destroy it. Those with questions can contact the company by phone on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT. The number is (213) 627-6496.

Tree nut allergies are one of the most common food allergies among humans, but they have one of the widest ranges of symptoms and responses as well. According to a report by Healthline, the allergic person may experience anything from minor itching and sinus irritation to abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, difficulty breathing or even anaphylactic shock. Depending on the person's sensitivity, these symptoms may be triggered by close proximity to the nuts without touching or consuming them.

Tree nuts that can induce this allergy include almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, pine nuts and lychee nuts. People with severe allergies should be prepared with an auto-injector of epinephrine like an EpiPen at all times. For more information, visit the CDC's website.