Your Favorite Cookies May Be Off the Menu This Christmas as FDA Issues Recall Over Health Risk
In the infancy stage, the foods that are introduced to humans and their initial reactions to them determine, for the most part, their food choices later in life. Every food comes with its own specific suite of proteins. When the food is introduced to the child at the right time, their immune system gets trained and acclimated to these proteins. The immune system of someone who ate a peanut-containing food as a toddler would be likely more adaptable to peanuts than the immune system of someone who never tasted peanuts until their teenage years. Early introduction of a nut makes the immune system take the associated protein as a familiar, friendly visitor.
For some people, however, the immune system might resist peanut-containing foods by mistaking peanut proteins as biological invaders, not friends. If you think you feel unsettled after eating peanut-based foods, you might have a peanut allergy, and therefore, this recall notice is for you. Lunds & Byerlys, the Minnesota-based grocery chain, has recently initiated a product recall for its popular Monster Cookies due to potentially undeclared peanut, egg, and soy allergens, per the FDA. If someone who is allergic accidentally eats these cookies, they might experience life-threatening shock reactions.
The recall was initiated on December 9, after an investigation revealed that some of the cookie packets missed the labels for ingredients that could be harmful for consumers with food allergies. The label printed on the cookie packets was an erroneous label originally meant for the company’s Tex-Mex Turkey Wrap products. These incorrect labels didn’t list the cookies’ correct ingredients, including peanuts, eggs, and soy. The affected cookies were available for purchase from November 15 through December 9, at all L & B stores throughout the Twin Cities and St. Cloud.
The recalled products were first identified by a store employee and then reported to the company’s Quality Assurance Team. The product carried UPC of 18169-66862, which, actually, is the UPC for the Tex-Mex Turkey Wrap. And although no illnesses have been reported so far, medical practitioners say that these allergies, such as peanut allergy, can trigger a notorious tailspin of biological symptoms.
When affected by food allergens, the body starts showing symptoms within a few minutes to a few hours, the FDA explains. Accidental ingestion can result in vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, or sometimes, a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms after eating the Monster Cookies, immediately seek the attention of your nearest doctor. Usually, when the immune system encounters proteins that it considers “invaders,” it releases a deluge of chemicals. The toxic chemical rush can jolt the body into inflammation, stress, or wakefulness. Sometimes, doctors use food desensitization, oral immunotherapy, or memory cell reprogramming to cure these allergies.
Now, if you have purchased these cookies, the FDA recommends you return them for a full refund, even if you don't have a receipt. As the holiday season jumps into full swing, these Monster Cookies will be missed. In the meantime, you can stock up your snack pantry with the cousins of these monsters, which is to say, L & B’s signature Abdallah candies or the jazzy krumkake waffles.
More on Green Matters
FDA Updates Cookie Dough Recall to Highest Risk Level— 15 States Affected
Popular California Farm Recalls Eggs Due To Possible Salmonella Contamination
Red Lentil Dal Soup Recalled in Texas for Hidden Allergen — Check Your Pantry