Soylent Food Bars recalled after dozens of unconfirmed illnesses

With dozens of consumers complaining online about classic food poisoning symptoms after eating Soylent Food Bars, Canadian officials announced a recall of the meal replacement product late today.

Rosa Foods Inc. of Los Angeles just started marketing the Soylent brand nutrition supplement bars in August, with the first shipments going to consumers via Internet sales beginning in September.

Almost immediately consumers began posting reports of intense vomiting and diarrhea, according to the tech news website Gizmodo. Soylent officials said the bars — primarily made of soy protein and algae flour according to the company’s website — are manufactured at an FDA-inspected facility and a subjected to microbiological testing before shipping, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The recall posted this evening by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) reports there have been illnesses associated with the Soylent Food Bar products, but does not specify symptoms or numbers of sick people.

“Check to see if you have recalled product in your home. Recalled products should be thrown out. This recall was triggered by the company. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products,” according to the recall notice on the CFIA website.

Health Canada also posted a warning urging consumers to check for the recalled meal replacement bars and through them away.

Company officials had already pulled the new Soylent Food Bars from the stream of commerce, announcing on the brand’s website on Oct. 12 they were “halting all Soylent Bar purchases and shipments and are advising our customers to discard any remaining bars in their possession.”

“After hearing from our customers, we immediately began investigating the cause of the issue and whether it was linked to a problem with the bars,” according to the Soylent blog and Facebook posts. “So far we have not yet identified one and this issue does not appear to affect our other drinks and powder. …

“We will be reaching out via e-mail to all Bar customers to offer a full refund. … Until we are absolutely certain our products are safe, they will not be shipped.”

Any customers with questions are urged to contact the Delaware company, which has offices in Los Angeles, via email at: info@soylent.com. Consumers can identify the recalled Soylent Food Bars by the following packaging information:

Soylent Food Bar, 60 grams, sold individually without UPC numbers, with any of the following date codes:

• 14JUL17
• 15JUL17
• 18JUL17
• 02AUG17
• 04AUG17
• 08AUG17
• 10AUG17

Silent Food Bar, 60 grams, sold in 12-count boxes with the UPC number 858369006023 and any of the following date codes:

• 14JUL17
• 15JUL17
• 18JUL17
• 02AUG17
• 04AUG17
• 08AUG17
• 10AUG17

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had not posted any recall information about the Soylent Food Bars as of 11 p.m. EDT Friday.

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from Food Recalls – Food Safety News http://ift.tt/2e99mag