Chocolates Sold at Target Nationwide Recalled Due to Health Concerns, FDA Warns

The FDA announced a recall for Valentine's Day chocolates sold at Target.

On Feb. 16, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced that Illinois-based Silvestri Sweets Inc. had voluntarily recalled its Favorite Day branded Valentine's Milk Chocolate Covered Caramels with Nonpareils. The holiday-themed treats were distributed and sold at Target stores nationwide.

The affected items were sold in 8-ounce pink and cream-colored stand-up pouch bags. The items can be identified by checking for lot number 33822 and best-by date of Dec. 8, 2023, printed on the back of the packaging below its UPC code.

The treats could contain a potentially dangerous ingredient for some people.

According to the agency's notice, the company issued the recall after discovering they could contain an undeclared tree nut as an ingredient. The known food allergen—which includes chestnuts, Brazil nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts, and cashews—could cause a "serious or life-threatening" reaction if someone who is allergic or sensitive to the items consumes them. The FDA says that "a temporary breakdown in the company's production and packaging process" could be to blame for the issue.

Tree nuts are one of the types of ingredients covered in the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research Act (FASTER), which went into effect on Jan. 1 of this year. The new law requires that product labels declare potentially sensitive ingredients on their packaging, including shellfish, milk, fish, egg, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame.

Here's what you should do if you've purchased the recalled Valentine's Day chocolates.

So far, the FDA says there have been no reported illnesses or other medical issues related to the recalled chocolates. However, the agency is urging any customers who purchased the product to call Target's guest relations hotline at any time. There, they can request a full refund for the item.

Guests can also contact Silvestri Sweets with questions by calling the number listed on the agency's recall notice.

There have been other recent food and beverage recalls.

Even though the latest chocolates recall could potentially affect customers from coast to coast, it's far from the only recent example of items getting pulled from shelves due to serious concerns over public safety.

In a similar case in late January, the FDA announced that Snack Innocations Inc. had voluntarily recalled some batches of its Drizzilicious brand mini rice cake bites and drizzled popcorn sold nationwide due to "undeclared peanut residue." The agency advised customers who purchased the affected items to avoid eating them if they had an allergy or sensitivity and to contact the company for information on a full refund.

It's also not chocolate's first involvement in a major recall. On Feb. 13, the agency said that Daiso California, LLC had pulled two dozen snack food items sold in its stores across six states, including chocolate, crackers, cookies, teas, and ramen. The products also contained undeclared allergens in this case, including milk, soy, wheat, and tree nuts. The move came just weeks after the store issued a previous recall on another dozen of its snack foods over undeclared allergens, including various flavors of popcorn, biscuits, potato rings, and crackers.

And it's not just food products that have dealt with recent safety issues. The agency also recently announced that Pepsico Inc. had recalled the Starbucks frappuccino vanilla drinks it produces for the iconic chain of cafes, Food Safety News first reported. The move was part of an ongoing recall that was originally initiated on Jan. 28, ultimately affecting 25,200 cases that were shipped nationwide. The FDA said that the product was pulled after the company discovered the bottles could contain pieces of glass, creating a serious health risk for consumers.