GoPicnic Brands is voluntarily recalling two vegan ready-to-eat meals - GoPicnic Black Bean Dip & Plantain Chips and Hummus & Crackers in the US, as the product may contain an undeclared milk allergen.
According to the company, the ready meals contain Zim Zam's Extraordinary Sweets Dark Chocolate with Orange and Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt, which contains milk.
Consumers who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk can experience serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the chocolate in the voluntarily recalled meals.
The product was distributed nationwide through retail stores and direct delivery. The 'best by' dates associated with the voluntarily recalled lot codes range from 9/24/2013 to 5/29/2014.
GoPicnic Black Bean Dip & Plantain Chips Meal lot codes are 10474, 10714, 10753, 11076, 11198, 11347, 11415, 11664, 11665, 11678, and 11762.
GoPicnic Hummus & Crackers Meal lot codes are 10235, 10265, 10272, 10320, 10330, 10334, 10377, 10395, 10501, 10508, 10607, 10742, 10731, 10752, 10825, 10837, 10842, 10852, 11001, 11000, 11032, 11033, 11089, 11087, 11199, 11302, 11325, 11510, and 11485.
This recall has been initiated following the recall of these chocolate products by G Debbas Chocolatier, as the chocolate may contain undeclared milk particles. Debbas is a third-party supplier to GoPicnic Brands, and manufactured the recalled chocolate.
The GoPicnic meals containing these Debbas chocolate products were both distributed to US retailers and distributors nationwide and made available for purchase on the Internet between 01/31/13 to 8/27/13. One customer with a known milk allergy reported feeling sick after consuming the chocolate.
The company noted that as part of a standard annual menu refresh, it had already discontinued these chocolate items from GoPicnic meals and ceased production and distribution of meals containing these chocolate items by 23 July 2013, more than 30 days prior to notification of the voluntary recall.
GoPicnic Brands president and CEO Julia Stamberger said the company sincerely apologizes to its valued customers for any inconvenience or concern due to the mislabeled packaging.
"The health and safety of our customers is paramount to us and we are committed to providing our customers with safe meals that are produced, sourced and handled responsibly," Stamberger added.
