When American consumers go to the grocery store and purchase food products, they expect those products to be safe for human consumption. They also expect the labels on the products to accurately reflect what’s found inside them.
Consumers have the right to expect this due to American consumer product safety laws, which uphold product manufacturers to certain standards of safety and accurate labeling. Unfortunately, manufacturers often make mistakes that cause consumers to suffer serious injuries. When this happens, consumers have the right to pursue financial justice in court.
In a recent example of a consumer product safety problem, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration announced the recent recall of Vanilla Almond Breeze almond milk for a surprising reason. Over 145,000 half-gallon containers of the allegedly-dairy-free almond drink product, produced by Blue Diamond Almonds, were at risk of cow’s milk contamination.
In spite of the dairy milk contamination risk, the affected containers of almond milk did not list the allergen on their labels. According to HP HOOD LLC, the parent company of Blue Diamond Almonds, announced that people suffering from milk allergies ran “the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction” if they consumed the products.
Blue Diamond Almonds shipped almond milk cartons affected by the recall to 28 states, including Pennsylvania. Consumers in possession of the cartons, however, were only at risk if they suffered from milk allergies or milk sensitivities. Aside from the risk of containing cow’s milk without appropriate labeling, the products were believed to be safe for human consumption.
The only almond milk cartons affected by this recall are labeled Vanilla Almond Breeze and their use-by dates are Sept. 2, 2018. Their UPC bar codes are 4157005621. The milk cartons subject to the recall represent under .8 percent of the Vanilla Almond Breeze shipped by the manufacturer during the last year.
Many American consumers have suffered catastrophic or fatal injuries because of labeling errors on food products. These situations are particularly dangerous for those with severe allergies to specific products.
Whenever a food manufacturer produces a product that contains a possible severe allergen — like milk, shellfish or peanuts to name a few — the manufacturer must list those ingredients on its labels. Failure to do so could leave the manufacturer liable in the event that labeling error results in an injury or death.