logo
Aldi Salmon Recalled Over Life-Threatening Soy Allergy Risk

Aldi Salmon Recalled Over Life-Threatening Soy Allergy Risk

Newsweek25-05-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Santa Monica Seafood of Rancho Dominguez, California, has issued a voluntary recall of its Atlantic Salmon Portions with Seafood Stuffing sold at Aldi grocery stores across three states over a potentially life-threatening undeclared soy allergy risk.
Newsweek reached out to Santa Monica Seafood and Aldi via email on Sunday for comment.
Why It Matters
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), millions of Americans have food allergies or food sensitivities. Food sensitivities can range from mild reactions to potentially life-threatening symptoms. The agency says the major food allergens are milk, eggs, sesame, fish, tree nuts, crustacean shellfish, peanuts, wheat and soybeans.
Soy allergies occur when the immune system recognizes soy proteins as a foreign substance. Symptoms can vary from mild to severe and include vomiting, wheezing, stomach problems, swelling of the tongue and lips, hives, difficulty breathing, and dizziness.
In severe cases, a soy allergy can cause anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening reaction that hinders breathing and can cause blood pressure to drop dangerously low, limiting blood flow to vital organs.
Because soy is a common ingredient in many processed foods, managing a soy allergy often requires careful label reading and avoidance of cross-contaminated products.
What To Know
The FDA posted the recall announcement on its website on Saturday after Santa Monica Seafood discovered the labeling error during a routine inspection of completed production batches.
The company found that while the 16-ounce Atlantic Salmon Portions with Seafood Stuffing contains soy as an ingredient, this allergen was omitted from the product packaging. The product has a use/freeze by date of June 2, 2025.
The recalled products were distributed exclusively through Aldi locations across California, Nevada, and Arizona. Affected consumers can identify the product by locating the date code printed on the white label section beneath the product image on the front of the package.
The FDA is working directly with Santa Monica Seafood to monitor the recall's effectiveness and ensure comprehensive consumer notification.
No illnesses have been reported to date.
What People Are Saying
Santa Monica Seafood Customer Service: "Consumers who purchased Atlantic Salmon Portions with Seafood Stuffing from Aldi are urged to return the product to the store for a full refund. For questions, consumers may contact Santa Monica Seafood at 1-800-969-8862, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PST."
Santa Monica Seafood of Rancho Dominguez, CA, is voluntarily recalling Atlantic Salmon Portions with Seafood Stuffing.
Santa Monica Seafood of Rancho Dominguez, CA, is voluntarily recalling Atlantic Salmon Portions with Seafood Stuffing.
U.S. Food & Drug Administration/FDA
What Happens Next
Aldi stores in the affected states are removing the product from shelves and processing returns for customers who purchased the recalled salmon.
The FDA will continue monitoring the recall's effectiveness and may take additional enforcement action if necessary.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

How thousands of unreviewed ingredients got into our food — and what FDA can do about it
How thousands of unreviewed ingredients got into our food — and what FDA can do about it

The Hill

time44 minutes ago

  • The Hill

How thousands of unreviewed ingredients got into our food — and what FDA can do about it

At least 1,000 ingredients in food products on our grocery store shelves have never been checked for safety by the Food and Drug Administration. Dozens have raised serious safety concerns among experts. How did the FDA allow this? The answer can be found in the agency's lax interpretation of a little-known legal designation that lets companies decide for themselves if ingredients in their products are safe. Fortunately, there are steps the agency can take right now to stem the flow of potentially unsafe ingredients into our food supply. Environmental Defense Fund outlined these steps in a letter we recently sent to the agency, but first let's take a closer look at how we got here. 'Generally Recognized as Safe' is a designation Congress created in 1958 to allow commonly used food ingredients to bypass the FDA's pre-market safety review process. It was meant for food substances — such as oils, vinegar, baking soda and common spices — that were widely considered safe due to their long history of everyday use. Since 1958, this status has been coopted to cover a universe of foods that extends far beyond its original intent. According to FDA regulations, a chemical can receive the designation if experts widely agree that scientific evidence shows its use to be safe. But because 'Generally Recognized as Safe' wasn't meant for newer ingredients, Congress allowed ingredients so designated to skip the FDA's premarket approval process — despite requiring similar evidence for other additives. Under the agency's current interpretation, companies can designate the use of a substance as safe and take products with that substance to market without informing the FDA or the public of its decision. While companies may voluntarily submit a notice to FDA offering safety evidence, they are not required to — and often don't. Our organization estimated that manufacturers have notified FDA of fewer than half of the ingredients they market as safe under the 'Generally Recognized' standard. Companies that do bother to submit a notice to the FDA are free to withdraw it at any point and take their product to market, provided they can cite evidence of its safe use. But this 'evidence' is often far from independent. Companies can, and often do, enlist their own employees or handpicked consultants to conduct their safety assessments. The result is a process riddled with conflicts of interest that lets unsafe foods into Americans' homes. We analyzed 'Generally Recognized as Safe' notices received by the FDA, obtained via a Freedom of Information request, and found that of the 1,163 submitted by companies between 1997 and April 2024, 192 were later withdrawn, with safety concerns cited in at least a dozen cases. We also identified 31 ingredients that companies have advertised to be recognized as safe, such as in press releases, trade publications and on their own websites (see the Appendix of our letter). However, we were unable to find the scientific evidence required under this standard to demonstrate these ingredients are commonly regarded as safe among experts. This raises red flags that FDA should be taking seriously. Although a comprehensive fix to the 'Generally Recognized' standard will require legislation from Congress, there are significant steps the FDA can take right away to ensure a more rigorous determination process that better protects Americans' health. Starting today, the FDA can use existing authority to remove safe designations from ingredients it deems unsafe and take them off the market. It can also notify manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers that the substance is no longer recognized as safe. In addition, the FDA can enforce the requirement that companies base safety designations on publicly available data. Although this won't curtail companies' ability to self-declare substances as safe, it will require those who do to be transparent in citing their evidence. Third, the FDA can enforce the requirement that safety assessments consider vital health information such as a substance's dietary sources, potential cancer risks and the cumulative health effects of similar substances. Finally, the FDA can make companies revise and resubmit their data for review when they submit 'Generally Recognized as Safe' notices that fail to comply with the criteria. The 'Generally Recognized as Safe' designation is far from a perfect system, but it can work better if it is interpreted and enforced more comprehensively. If the FDA is serious about protecting public health, it should start by fully exercising the tools already at its disposal. Maria Doa is senior director at the Chemicals Policy at Environmental Defense Fund. Maricel Maffini is an independent consultant focused on human and environmental health and chemical safety.

Psychedelics as potential mental health treatment are explored by Trump administration
Psychedelics as potential mental health treatment are explored by Trump administration

Yahoo

time44 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Psychedelics as potential mental health treatment are explored by Trump administration

The Trump administration has expressed interest in exploring psychedelics for their potential in treating PTSD and other debilitating mental health issues, various officials have shared. "The Department shares the goal of ensuring that all Americans — especially our nation's veterans — have access to safe and effective treatments for conditions such as PTSD, addiction and depression," a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), run by Sec. Robert J. Kennedy Jr., said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. "Secretary Kennedy is committed to applying rigorous, evidence-based science to research efforts aimed at addressing these serious health challenges." Fda Approves First Ai Tool To Predict Breast Cancer Risk In recent years, researchers have been actively investigating the potential of psychedelics, such as MDMA and psilocybin ("magic mushrooms") to treat mental health disorders. MDMA is not approved for clinical use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but can be studied in clinical settings. Read On The Fox News App Psilocybin is listed as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act, which means it has "a high potential for abuse, [is not] currently accepted for medical use in treatment in the United States, and [has] a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision." Psilocybin-assisted therapy, however, is legal in Oregon, Colorado and New Mexico. Psychedelic medicines are "showing real promise," according to Dr. Luke Twelves, general practitioner and vice president of medical for Lindus Health in London. Clinical trials have found such treatments safe and effective for patients battling serious mental health issues, according to Twelves. Common Supplements And Medications Could Cause Liver Damage, Studies Show "Take psilocybin, for example — it's demonstrating remarkable results for severe depression that hasn't responded to other medications," he told Fox News Digital. "MDMA is showing similar breakthroughs for PTSD treatment." Clinical trials are also investigating how psychedelics could help with end-of-life anxiety, addiction, eating disorders, chronic pain and OCD, he added. Researchers have faced challenges in terms of regulatory hurdles and proper placebo controls, Twelves said. "Given that these treatments could transform [the] lives of people suffering from conditions where nothing else has worked effectively, it's crucial that we complete this research properly," he said. "The goal is to bring safe, proven psychedelic therapies to the patients who need them most." At President Trump's May 1 cabinet meeting, Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins said that "we're opening up the possibility of psychedelic treatment." Retired Army Sergeant Jonathan Lubecki recently told Fox News' Alexandria Hoff that MDMA stopped his PTSD while he was participating in a clinical trial. "[I] took my first dose of MDMA. I've only taken it three times as part of the clinical trial, haven't taken it since, and haven't found the need to take it since, because I haven't had PTSD," he said. Peter Kasperowicz, Department of Veterans Affairs press secretary, told Fox News Digital the department is safely exploring all avenues that promote the health of veterans. Fallujah Vet Turns Medal Of Heroism Into A Healing Mission For Fellow Warriors With Service Dogs Program "Preliminary findings have produced positive results on psychedelic-assisted therapies for treating mental health conditions," he said. The VA is currently running 11 clinical trials in various phases, with a total of some 800 veterans expected to participate. "The goal of these trials is to determine whether compounds such as MDMA and psilocybin can treat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, treatment-resistant depressive disorder, major depressive disorder and potentially other mental health conditions," said Kasperowicz. An MDMA study published in the Jan. 2025 issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry found that the substance is "unlike classical psychedelics." The study noted, "MDMA allows the individual to maintain intact ego functioning and a greater degree of cognitive and perceptual lucidity while still experiencing a prosocial altered state of consciousness that facilitates deeply emotional therapeutic breakthroughs." Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter The researchers concluded that MDMA showed "enhanced levels of trust, empathy, self-compassion and a 'window of tolerance'" that traditional psychotherapy lacks. Doug Drysdale, CEO of the Canadian pharmaceutical company Cybin, told Fox News Digital that "the time is now to address the mental health crisis." He said it is "gratifying" that administration officials value the potential benefits of looking into alternative mental health treatments. Cybin is currently in phase 3 of a study of CYB003, a type of psilocybin that has been granted breakthrough therapy designation by the FDA as an additional treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). "In Cybin's completed Phase 2 MDD study, long-term efficacy results showed that 71% of participants were in remission from depression, and 100% of participants responded to treatment at 12 months after just two 16 mg doses of CYB003," said Drysdale. Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and Fox News' senior medical analyst, previously interviewed two of the country's top researchers on psychedelics — Dr. Rachel Yehuda, founder and director of the Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research at Mt. Sinai in New York, and Dr. Charles Marmar, director of the PTSD research program at NYU Langone. "They agree there is therapeutic potential if very carefully studied under very strict medical guidance, but there is a huge downside in terms of unregulated recreational uses," Siegel told Fox News Digital at the time. "Both doctors see likely therapeutic value to psychedelics if carefully managed by medical experts," Siegel added. Ryan Moss, chief science officer at Filament Health, a clinical-stage natural psychedelic drug development company in Canada, emphasized it's important to administer psychedelics in a safe setting when treating mental health conditions. For more Health articles, visit "Psychedelic experiences can sometimes feature anxiety, hallucinations and paranoia," Moss previously told Fox News Digital. "Some patients using traditional psychedelics have reported experiencing adverse cardiovascular events during clinical trials." To mitigate these risks, Moss recommended clinical trial participants receive thorough preparation and monitoring by trained professionals during sessions. Melissa Rudy and Angelica Stabile, both of Fox News Digital, contributed article source: Psychedelics as potential mental health treatment are explored by Trump administration

Eating more of these plant-based foods could lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes
Eating more of these plant-based foods could lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Eating more of these plant-based foods could lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes

Eating more nuts, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains may help to reduce your risk of contracting deadly heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Researchers said this week that people who consumed more phytosterols — a natural compound found in plant foods — significantly delayed both of the conditions. Furthermore, eating more of them was linked to reduced inflammation, markers of better insulin regulation, and differences in the gut microbiome that may contribute to healthy metabolism. The study was not designed to confirm why this is the case, but the researchers said their findings strengthen the evidence. More than 7000,000 Americans die from heart disease and some 101,000 die from diabetes. 'Our findings support the dietary recommendation of adhering to healthy plant-based dietary patterns that are rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts and whole grains,' Dr. Fenglei Wang, a research associate at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a statement. 'These findings can help people make informed dietary choices.' Wang presented the observational findings on Tuesday at the flagship annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition. Some phytosterol-rich foods include corn, almonds, broccoli, bananas, and wheat bread. Previous research had found that eating foods with phytosterols can help to improve peoples' health by lowering bad cholesterol, and may reduce the risk of cancer. However, most clinical trials have used high doses of the phytosterols that were beyond what someone might get through just their own diet. The new research is the first to show the benefits as part of a normal diet. To reach these conclusions, Wang and his colleagues looked at data from more than 200,000 American adults that were a part of three studies. All of the participants were nurses or other health professionals and nearly 80 percent were women. Over the course of 36 years, more than 20,000 of them developed type 2 diabetes and nearly 16,000 developed heart disease. The participants' answers to food-frequency questionnaires allowed the researchers to estimate their individual intake of phytosterols, as well as three individual phytosterols known as β-sitosterol, campesterol and stigmasterol. Those who ate the most consumed the most phytosterol had about four to five servings of vegetables, two to three servings of fruits, two servings of whole grains, and half a serving of nuts each day. This made them 9 percent less likely to develop heart disease and 8 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes compares to those in the bottom fifth percentage for phytosterol intake, the research showed. Looking at the individual phytosterols, similar associations were observed for β-sitosterol. But, the same was not true for campesterol or stigmasterol. In addition, the researchers analyzed blood samples, looking at the products of metabolism — also known as metabolites — from more than 11,000 people and other metabolic biomarkers in blood samples from over 40,000 participants. They found that phytosterol and β-sitosterol levels were tied to favorable metabolites and metabolic markers relevant to heart disease and diabetes. That signaled a possible reason for the association. 'Our clinical biomarker and metabolomic results suggest the involvement of insulin activity, inflammation and the metabolism of metabolites associated with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease,' said Wang. 'This suggests that phytosterol might reduce risk by alleviating insulin resistance and inflammation.' In a group of just 465 participants, they examined the gut microbiome, or the trillions of microscopic organisms inside the intestines. They found several microbial species and related enzymes linked to higher intake of phytosterols that may affect the production of metabolites associated with a lower risk of diseases. 'We found that the gut microbiome might play a role in the beneficial associations. Some species, such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, carry enzymes that could help degrade phytosterol, potentially influencing host metabolism,' Wang said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store