New FDA Recalls: Supplements, COVID Tests, Chocolate, and Crackers
The agency has issued a handful of new notices in recent days.
Taking a trip to the store can be stressful when you're having trouble finding your favorite brand or deciding on a new product. However, most people shop with confidence that the items they pick up off the shelves are perfectly safe to consume. When anything runs afoul of the strict rules and regulations that are in place, officials can act quickly to alert customers and remove them from the market. And now, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has issued recalls on multiple products, including supplements, COVID tests, chocolate, and crackers. Read on for more information on the agency's latest warnings.
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The FDA just announced a recall on supplements sold nationwide over health concerns.
On Feb. 13, the FDA announced that California-based company Volt Candy had issued a voluntary recall for a specific lot of its PrimeZEN Black 6000 male enhancement capsules. The company says the product was sold online nationwide as a dietary supplement for male enhancement.
The 2000 milligram capsules are packaged individually in a black blister card with the UPC 728175521891. The affected item has the lot number [NPINPB 1003] and an expiration date of 08/16/2025 printed on the back of its packaging near the top of the card.
The company issued the recall after discovering the capsules contained sildenafil and tadalafil. Since the two unlisted ingredients are phosphodiesterase (PDE-5) inhibitors that require FDA approval for inclusion, the supplement is considered an item "for which safety and efficacy have not been established and, therefore, subject to recall."
The agency warns that sildenafil and tadalafil could interact with nitrates taken by people with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease and lead to a potentially life-threatening drop in blood pressure.
According to the FDA, Volt Candy is currently alerting all online customers of the recall by email and will be arranging for a return of the products. The agency advises anyone who purchased the product to stop using it immediately and to return it to the address listed on the recall notice. Anyone who believes they may have experienced any health problems due to taking the supplement should contact their healthcare provider immediately.
COVID tests are also subject to one of the agency's recent recalls.
In a separate warning posted on Feb. 10, the FDA announced that Universal Meditech Inc. had issued a recall of its Skippack Medical Lab SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Test Kits. The move affects 56,300 units nationwide.
The affected tests were shipped along with "Skippack Medical Lab" instruction leaflets in three different styles of packaging: "Skippack Medical Lab" brand in a purple and white box, "DiagnosUS" brand in a green and white box, and a white box with no brand name. The agency reports the move follows a previous recall of the same product carried out by SML Distribution LLC last year.
The FDA's notice states that it issued the recall because the COVID tests in question were "distributed without appropriate premarket clearance or approval which potentially could result in inaccurate test results."
The agency advises anyone who has the affected kits to stop using them immediately and to contact the company to initiate a return.
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Chocolate and snack foods sold in six states are also the subject of a recall.
The string of recently pulled products has also affected snack foods. On Feb. 13, the FDA announced that Daiso California, LLC had issued a recall for two dozen items sold in the company's stores in California, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and Washington. Affected products include chocolate, crackers, cookies, teas, ramen, and more. The complete list of items can be found on the agency's notice.
According to the recall notice, the store discovered that the affected products could contain undeclared allergens as ingredients, including milk, soy, wheat, or tree nuts such as almonds, cashew, or coconut. As a result, the agency warns that anyone with an allergy or sensitivity to the ingredients could "run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products."
Even though consumers have reported no adverse medical reactions, Daiso has removed the affected items from store shelves. The agency also advises anyone who purchased the products to return them to any store's locations for a full refund. Customers can also contact the company at the hotline or email address listed on the recall notice.
The latest alert comes after Daiso issued other recalls over the past month for more than a dozen other snack foods sold by the store. The affected items included various flavors of popcorn, biscuits, potato rings, and crackers. Like the latest recall, the company pulled the products because they contained undeclared allergens, including almonds, peanuts, soybeans, milk, and shellfish.
Recalls have affected everything from cleaning products to prepackaged foods lately.
The recent recalls announced by the FDA show just how safety alerts can affect a wide range of products. The first few weeks of 2023 alone have already seen a diverse array of items flagged for potential issues.
On Feb. 3, the FDA announced that Fresh Ideation Food Group had issued a recall of more than 400 ready-to-eat and prepackaged food products. The affected items were shipped to nine states and were sold in stores, vending machines, and during travel with transportation providers such as Amtrak. The company said it pulled the products after discovering they could be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria that can cause serious illness.
On Feb. 8, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced that Colgate-Palmolive Company had recalled nine varieties of its Fabuloso household cleaning products. The move affected nearly 5 million bottles sold nationwide. The company says it pulled the products from shelves after discovering they might be contaminated with Pseudomonas species bacteria—including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas fluorescent—which can lead to a serious infection in "people with weakened immune systems, external medical devices, or underlying lung conditions."
And on the same day, Nestlé Purina PetCare Company announced a recall of its Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EL Elemental (PPVD EL) dry dog food. The prescription-only product was pulled over concerns it contained significantly high levels of vitamin D that could lead to toxicity over time. Pet owners were urged to stop feeding their dogs the product and to throw it away in a container that would prevent any other animals or wildlife from consuming it.
