In June 2022, the meal kit company Daily Harvest voluntarily recalled their French Lentil + Leek Crumbles after over 400 reports of gastrointestinal and liver issues in consumers – with a number of complainants having to undergo emergency gallbladder surgery. Some symptoms after ingesting the product included: stomach pains, fever, chills, itching in hands and feet, and even jaundice.
As of May 15, 2024, we officially have an answer from the FDA on the food additive at the center of this recall. The FDA just announced that tara flour – an ingredient in the Daily Harvest French Lentil + Leek Crumbles – has just been listed as non-GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) food additive. While the FDA does not have evidence that tara flour is behind the outbreak, they have determined that there is not enough data on its use in food to classify it as GRAS in the United States.
To read more about tara flour and the FDA decision, the links below direct you to the original 2022 article from CNN as well as the just-released FDA article.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/27/tech/daily-harvest-recall-influencers/index.html
https://www.fda.gov/food/cfsan-constituent-updates/fda-update-post-market-assessment-tara-flour
