Strauss Israel and the FDA are recalling certain chocolate products that might be contaminated with salmonella.
If you’re a fan of chocolate, listen up. Earlier this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a voluntary recall of more than 101 products made and distributed by Strauss Israel. Why? It turns out the products may be contaminated with salmonella. The products were sold on the Elite brand name and included products like chocolate bars, chewing gum, rice cakes, wafers, and more.
The products were manufactured in Israel, but distributed to U.S. retailers throughout California, Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, and New York. The chocolate products are all kosher and were also available online at Passover.com, Amazon, and Fresh Direct. A full list of the recalled products can be found here.
So what happened? Well, according to reports from the FDA, the recalled chocolate products were “made in a facility where Salmonella was found in both the liquid chocolate used in the products and on equipment in the production line.” For now, retailers have been informed and are removing the products from their shelves. Customers who purchased the products should either toss them or return them for a refund.
When commenting on the recall, Strauss Group issued the following statement:
“[W]e decided to act fully responsibly, not to take any risks and remove all the factory products from the shelves…We apologize to the Israeli public, customers, and retailers for the difficulty, and thank you for your patience. [We] are aware of the long waiting times in customer service, and promise that we will get back to all inquiries.”
Sources:
Over 100 chocolate, candy products recalled due to salmonella fears
FDA Recalls Over 100 Kosher Candy and Chocolate Products Due to Salmonella Risk
