Dive Brief:
- Simply Natural Foods of Commack, N.Y. has agreed to recall 3 ounce Simply Lite chocolate bars from lots that contain an undeclared major food allergen, milk protein. This allergen can cause serious illness for those who are allergic to it.
- Although the bars bear an advisory statement, "may contain traces of milk," the FDA indicated that the amount of milk protein found in the product exceeded what consumers and the scientific community consider trace amounts.
- The milk protein was found in Simply Lite's 50% Cacao Low Carb Sugar Free Dark Chocolate with two different lot codes. The products were distributed to retail stores and markets in Canada, California, Florida, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
Dive Insight:
FDA tests of samples taken from these two lots found more than 3,500 parts per million of milk protein in single 3 ounce bars of the chocolate, which is equivalent to the amount found in about 4 teaspoons of whole milk. At that level, consuming the chocolate bars could trigger an allergic reaction. In response to this concern, Simply Natural Foods has agreed to recall both lots of questionable chocolate bars.