FDA issues urgent recall of chocolate cookies over deadly ingredient: 'Do not consume'
Neuhaus Chocolates recalled its Belgian Chocolate Moments Smurfs Popping Milk Chocolates with Cookies because they contain undeclared wheat.
The recalled cookies were sent to stores in New York, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington DC, and were available online via the Neuhaus website.
'People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to wheat run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products,' the FDA said.
Wheat allergies, suffered by 1.6million to 4million Americans, result from the immune system's overreactive response to an environmental allergen. It causes hives, swelling, difficulty breathing, and life-threatening anaphylaxis.
Undeclared wheat also poses a risk to people with celiac disease, a result of gluten in wheat that triggers an autoimmune response, causing digestive issues, fatigue, iron deficiency, joint pain, headaches, and a skin rash.
Roughly one percent of the US population, around 1.8 million Americans, is affected by celiac disease, but more than 35 percent carry the celiac-causing gene and, while testing negative for the disease in blood tests, could still experience symptoms including bloating and diarrhea.
The FDA reported that only 150 boxes of the cookies have been sold. So far, no complaints or illnesses have been reported.
According to the FDA, people with allergies to gluten and wheat specifically 'run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction' if they eat the recalled cookies, pictured here
Celiac disease and wheat allergies are slightly different. A wheat allergy could be due to gluten proteins, but it could also be an immune reaction to other proteins. Celiac is an autoimmune reaction to gluten that eats away at the lining of the small intestine (Stock image)
Your browser does not support iframes.
The Belgian Chocolate Moments Smurf's 'Popping Milk Chocolates with Cookies' were distributed between July 21 and August 4. Each had sell by dates of January 13, 2026.
The recall was initiated after Neuhaus staff conducting an internal check found products containing wheat were distributed in packaging that did not include the ingredient on its label.
The FDA said the issue was caused by a 'combination of circumstances.'
Subsequent investigation indicates the problem was caused by an exceptional combination of circumstances in which the company's internal software did not include the allergen on the packaging.
'If you are allergic or intolerant to wheat (gluten), do not consume this product and return it to the point of sale where this product was purchased,' the agency said.
A wheat allergy is different from celiac disease, as they are caused by different immune reactions. A wheat allergy could be due to gluten proteins, but it could also be an immune reaction to other proteins in wheat, such as albumin or globulin.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder caused by an allergic reaction to gluten in wheat, barley, or rye, which triggers the immune system to attack the lining of the small intestine.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
US FDA approves Ionis' drug for rare genetic disorder
Aug 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved Ionis Pharmaceuticals' (IONS.O), opens new tab drug to prevent instances of severe swelling in various parts of the body of patients with a rare genetic disorder. The drug, Dawnzera, is approved to prevent symptoms of a rare genetic disease called hereditary angioedema (HAE) in adults and pediatric patients over 12 years old. The condition causes frequent attacks of severe swelling in various parts of the body, including the hands, feet, genitals and face. Dawnzera will be available in the U.S. in the coming days, the company said. HAE is estimated to affect about 7,000 patients in the U.S., according to Ionis.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
DC-area airport on high alert after traveler diagnosed with world's most infectious disease
Health officials have warned of a potential measles outbreak at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia. A passenger arriving on an international flight tested positive for the highly contagious respiratory illness, which is currently spreading through the US. Travelers who were at the airport, which serves the Washington, DC, Virginia and Maryland region, on August 12 have been warned they could be at high risk of the virus. The infected traveler - who is a resident of another state - passed through the main terminal and the TSA security checkpoint before taking transportation to Concourse B between 1pm and 5pm. Travelers who fear they may have been exposed are advised to confirm if they have been vaccinated against measles. To date in 2025, Virginia has three reported cases of measles, with another one of these cases also linked to a traveler at Washington Dulles International Airport. The US has so far recorded more than 1,375 cases of measles, more than 60 percent of which are in children and teens. About 95 percent of cases have been in unvaccinated people or those who have not completed the recommended two-dose regimen. Three deaths have occurred due to measles this year, all of them being in unvaccinated people, including two children. Since widespread measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccinations began in 1971, US measles cases had nearly vanished by 2000. But infections have now surged to their highest level since 1992 – when over 2,100 cases were recorded – as vaccination rates slip. New clusters of measles infections have become increasingly common every year as vaccination coverage has declined to 91 percent, below the 95 percent threshold needed to achieve population-wide protection. Outbreaks are particularly common in more insular communities, such as Mennonites in West Texas, the epicenter of the current crisis. In Gaines County, where the outbreak had its genesis, kindergarten vaccination rates are as low as 20 percent, while rates in some neighboring Lubbock school districts are as low as 77 percent. Recent modeling by Stanford University researchers cautioned that, at current vaccination levels and with continuous, uncontrolled spread, the US will lose its measles elimination status within the year. Measles is among the most infectious diseases on earth. Just one infected person can transmit the virus to an average of 12 to 18 susceptible people, including anyone who has not had two doses of the MMR vaccine, or has not previously contracted measles. Babies cannot receive the first dose until a year to 15 months and generally get the second when they reach four to six years old, typically right before entering school. Their protection against measles depends on vaccinated older children creating herd immunity. The MMR vaccine is mandatory for school attendance in all 50 states. But a growing number of parents are using their states' exemptions for moral or religious reasons to opt out of mandated vaccines. This means they can send their children to school unprotected and more likely to spread the virus to a child who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons or because of age. In 2014, the exemption rate was about 1.7 percent, before a 2015 measles outbreak at Disneyland drew national attention to falling vaccination rates. By 2016, exemptions rose to two percent, even as states like California eliminated personal belief exemptions. The upward trend continued, hitting 2.5 percent in 2019—the year the US saw its highest measles case count since 1992, driven by under-vaccinated communities. The pandemic disrupted vaccination efforts further, pushing exemptions to 2.8 percent in 2021. By 2023, rates reached 3.5 percent, with MMR coverage in kindergarteners falling below the 95 percent threshold for herd immunity. The US has so far recorded more than 1,375 cases of measles, more than 60 percent of which are in children and teens. Outbreaks are particularly common in more insular communities, such as Mennonites in West Texas , the epicenter of the current crisis Dr William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, previously told that yearly vaccination declines are 'sobering.' 'Vaccine hesitancy and skepticism is alive and well and vaccines,' he said. 'We have considered vaccine hesitancy as a public health and a clinical medicine problem. Of course it is, however, at root, I have come to believe it is an educational problem.' Many on the anti-vax side cite the now-debunked science put forth in a retracted paper linking vaccines to autism written by Andrew Wakefield, a doctor who has had his medical license revoked. And the Department of Health and Human Services is currently under the leadership of Robert F Kennedy, Jr, a vaccine skeptic. Since the current outbreak began in West Texas, he has offered mixed messages. He has said that vaccination is the best way to prevent measles while also casting doubt on whether the children who died really died of measles Before ever reaching the public, vaccines must clear rigorous clinical trials involving tens of thousands of participants, with ongoing safety monitoring long after approval. Public health leaders universally agree: immunization remains medicine's most powerful shield against preventable disease, backed by decades of evidence on safety and efficacy. HHS provided the following statement to 'HHS continues to support community efforts in dealing with the measles outbreaks. 'CDC continues to provide technical assistance, laboratory support, and vaccines as requested. 'The risk of measles infection is low for the overall U.S. population, with a case rate of less than 0.4 per 100,000 people – lower than peer developed countries including Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Italy. 'Measles risk is higher in US communities with low vaccination rates in areas with active measles outbreaks or with close social and/or geographic linkages to areas with active measles outbreaks. 'CDC continues to recommend MMR vaccines as the best way to protect against measles. The decision to vaccinate is a personal one. People should consult with their healthcare provider to understand their options to get inoculated and should be informed about the potential risks and benefits associated with vaccines.'
The Sun
7 hours ago
- The Sun
Now mutant DEER spotted with gruesome pus-filled sores after plague of ‘zombie squirrels' overruns gardens
MUTANT deer are the latest animals to be spotted roaming around with gross pus-filled boils. They join a plague of "zombie squirrels" and rabbits with tentacles freaking people out in the US this summer. 7 7 7 Pictures of the deer with strange clusters of blisters on their flesh have been uploaded to social media from across the US. The bubbles have been sprouting all over the animals' bodies - pulling them out of shape from their legs to their faces. In the past two months, wildlife watchers have documented unsettling cases in New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Officials were quick to identify the condition as deer cutaneous fibroma - better known as "deer warts". The condition is caused by a virus that spreads between the deer - and experts have warned of an outbreak this summer. It is often spread by disease-carrying insects, like mosquitos and tics. They pass on the virus by transferring the blood of infected animals into healthy ones. The disease-carrying insects breed in warm weather, which is why there are more wart-ridden deer in summer. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said: "Papillomas are most frequently seen during the late summer and into the fall, probably due to increased biting insect activity during this time of year." Deer are not the only mutated animals that have been startling Americans. Horror as rabbits 'with tentacles and horns growing from their heads' are spotted & public urgently warned to stay away A terrifying plague of "zombie" squirrels has also gripped backyards around the country. Squirrels have been spotted sporting the same grim warts as the deer by people across the States. Pictures show some individuals completely coated in unsightly growths around their heads and limbs. One Reddit user posted: "At first I thought it was eating something from my front beds, but then I realized it was on its face." 7 7 Scientists say the are furry creatures are suffering from squirrel fibromatosis - a skin condition that's caused by leporipoxvirus. It can spread through direct contact between healthy squirrels and the lesions or saliva on those that are infected. The virus affecting the deer is from the same broad family as one that can infect humans - known as papillomaviruses. People can suffer from similar growths on their skin if infected by the human version of the disease. But there isn't any danger of a person catching the virus from a deer, as it is species-specific. 7 7
