The ease of tearing open a ready-to-eat salad and fixing it with pre-portioned toppings isn’t lost on us. But you may want to rethink your lunch options if you plan on munching on a Kroger Apple Walnut with Chicken Salad Kit. Taylor Farms Pacific has issued a voluntary recall of the Kroger-brand salad bowl after a routine assurance check revealed that the meal may contain an undeclared wheat allergen, per a release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
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On March 13, the FSIS announced the health-conscious meal kit manufacturing company was pulling approximately 19,976 pounds of 5.5-oz. ready-to-eat (RTE) apple walnut with chicken salad bowls, which were sold at Kroger stores across 12 states.
The salad contains green leaf lettuce, spring mix, apples, white meat chicken, blue cheese, glazed walnuts, dried cranberries, and carrots, and comes with a sweet onion vinaigrette dressing, according to Kroger’s website.
The FSIS said the recall went into effect after a “routine quality assurance check of ingredient labels” showed the RTE meals were misbranded and didn’t include a “wheat allergen” warning sticker, per the notice. “The product may contain wheat, a known allergen, which is not declared on the product label,” the government agency explained.
Those with a wheat allergy can begin experiencing symptoms within minutes of consumption, the Mayo Clinic warns. Hives, skin rash, nasal congestion, headaches, cramps, nausea or vomiting, and swelling or itching of the mouth or throat are the most common symptoms. However, for some people, life-threatening reactions such as anaphylaxis, blueing of the skin, and tightening of the chest can also occur.
As of this reporting, there have been no reports of adverse reactions.
But this isn’t the first time this week that Kroger has had to issue a product recall due to a potential health hazard. A few days ago, Kroger notified customers that its Italian Trio Pack and Dry Coppa Sliced Pack may contain a “microbial contaminant,” which, if ingested, could lead to severe illnesses in persons with weakened immune systems.
FSIS
As for the most recent recall, the FSIS says the misbranded Kroger salad bowls were produced between Feb. 28, 2024, and March 9, 2024, and have “use by” dates of March 12, 2024 through March 22, 2024. They were distributed to Kroger store locations in 12 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
Customers can verify whether their salads are affected by the recall by referencing the establishment number—“P-34013”—and lot code. Impacted lot codes include “TFPM059B4,” “TFPM060B41,” “TFPM061A41,” “TFPM062A41,” “TFPM063B41,” “TFPM064A41” “TFPM064B41,” “TFPM065A41,” “TFPM066A41”, “TFPM067A41”, “TFPM068A41,” ‘TFPM069B42,” and “TFPM071A41.”
A recall alert from Kroger says the misbranded meals will also have a Universal Product Code (UPC) that reads, "11110-63059.”
The FSIS is requesting customers to discard any misbranded salad bowls or to return them to their closest Kroger location. Customers can contact Taylor Farms’ Consumer Line at 855-455-0098 with questions.
