Chocolate Recall Could Affect Louisiana Valentine’s Day

The calendar has flipped over to February and in Louisiana that usually means two things. Mardi Gras and Valentine's Day. Last year those two celebrations basically fell on top of each other. But this year lovers in Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans will find there is a little space between "pitching woo" and "catching beads".

One of the leading love languages in Louisiana is food. And the most eloquent food for communicating romance is chocolate. Not only does chocolate excite the taste buds, but its chemical makeup affects our brains. Yeah, the chemicals in chocolate produce a unique sense of pleasure which may be why the stuff is closely connected to Valentine's Day, our holiday to celebrate love and romance.

I think we are all in agreement that we want the chocolate that we give to our Valentine will be a positive experience and not the kind of experience that involves doctors, emergency rooms, stomach pumps, or the coroner. But, unfortunately, there is a situation involving some popular chocolate that could derail your romantic Valentine's Day.

The Food and Drug Administration has just raised the risk level of a chocolate product recall that could indirectly affect consumers in Louisiana. The products involved were not shipped directly to retailers in the state but the products were shipped to stores in neighboring Texas. The product was available to Louisiana consumers online.

The FDA recall says the concern is over an undeclared allergen. Officials with the FDA say the concern is so great that they have raised the risk level of this recall to Level 1. That is the highest level recall in the FDA playbook. 

A Level 1 recall means there is a:

situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death

We should note that the most serious outcomes of exposure to the recalled products are for those individuals who are sensitive to the allergens that could be contained in the products.

The products involved were Dark Chocolate Almonds, Dark Chocolate Apricots and Dark Chocolate Walnuts all sold and distributed by Cal Yee Farms of California. The products, as we mentioned, were shipped to stores in Texas, Arizona, California, New Mexico, Tennessee, Ohio, Oregon and Pennsylvania. The products were also available for purchase online.

The items in question were sold in 8-ounce, one-pound, two-pound, or five-pound sizes. The items are packaged in clear plastic zippered pouches. The pouches are adorned with a bright yellow label that describes the product. For a complete list of products, lot numbers, and descriptions of the recalled items you can see that here. 

If you have any of the recalled products you are urged to contact Cal Yee Farms directly or you may return the item to the store where it was purchased. Do not consume the products if you still have them on hand, discard them.