Recalled: Chocolate bars with milk proteins

SIMPLY Natural Foods (Commack, N.Y.) has agreed to recall two lots of 3-ounce Simply Lite brand sugar-free dark chocolate. The recall follows tests that found milk protein, a major food allergen, in 3-ounce bars of Simply Lite brand 50% Cacao Low Carb Sugar Free Dark Chocolate bearing the lot codes “Best By: 01 18 2015A” or “Best By: 01 19 2015A”, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said. 

The 3-ounce bars  are packaged in a brown plastic wrapper and labeled as “Simply Lite brand 50% Cacao Low Carb Sugar Free Dark Chocolate" bearing the lot codes “Best By: 01 18 2015A” or “Best By: 01 19 2015A” on the back of the packaging” 

Milk is not declared as an ingredient on the label, but FDA tests of samples taken from the 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. Although the product label bears the advisory statement “may contain traces of milk,” the amount of milk protein found in the samples of this product is not what the scientific community and consumers may regard as trace amounts.

These are the only lots tested by the FDA and the only lots that the FDA has found to contain milk protein. The product was distributed to retail stores and markets in California, Florida, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, and in Canada.

Food allergy symptoms typically appear within minutes or develop up to two hours after a person has eaten the food to which they are allergic. Allergic reactions range from mild symptoms to a life-threatening whole-body allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. Symptoms can include hives; flushed skin or rash; tingling or itchy sensation in the mouth; face, tongue, or lip swelling; vomiting; diarrhea; abdominal cramps; coughing or wheezing; dizziness or lightheadedness; swelling of the throat and vocal cords; difficulty breathing; and a drop in blood pressure.

Who is at risk? People who have a milk allergy or a severe sensitivity to milk may be at risk of a serious or life threatening allergic reaction if they eat products containing milk.

What do consumers need to do? People who are allergic to milk or have a severe sensitivity to milk should not eat Simply Lite chocolate bars from either of these lots.