People who are allergic to anchovies, eggs, or wheat should be on the lookout for a new Dole salad kit recall. The product contains all of these potential allergens without mentioning any of them on the label. The mislabeling problem prompted Safeway Fresh Food to recall 717 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) Chicken Caesar Salad kits.
As a result, you should avoid eating the product if you’re allergic to any of the aforementioned ingredients.
Dole salad kit recall
The US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) just announced the recall. The action follows a customer complaint that the product has an incorrect label on the bottom of the bowl. The manufacturer contacted FSIS once it confirmed the issue.
If you recently purchased a Dole salad kit, you might still have it in your refrigerator. That’s because it expires on May 5th. Safeway Fresh Food produced the RTE Chicken Caesar Salad kits on April 19th, 2022. The Dole-branded salad kit was then available in various states, including Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
You’ll have to look for the following identifiers on the salad kits in this recall, per the FSIS announcement:
- 13.6-oz. plastic bowl containing “Dole FRESH Takes CLASSIC CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD” with a use-by date of 05/05/2022 and lot code S109000 1, located at the top of the front label.
- establishment number “EST. 40283” inside the USDA mark of inspection
The product images in this post should help you quickly identify the potentially dangerous salad kits if there are any in your refrigerator.
Allergic reactions can be severe
Safeway Fresh Food says it has not received any reports of adverse reactions following the consumption of the Dole salad kit in the recall. They’re still fine to eat if you’re not allergic to anchovies, eggs, or wheat. But you should make sure you don’t serve the recalled chicken caesar salad to anyone who might be allergic.
Food allergies have similar symptoms, regardless of the ingredient you’re sensitive to. Symptoms can appear immediately after eating foods containing the allergen. Milder reactions include skin inflammation or hives, digestive symptoms like cramps, nausea, vomiting, and nasal congestion.
More severe reactions include difficulty breathing and anaphylaxis, which can lead to death without immediate treatment. People suffering from severe allergies often carry adrenaline pens to treat a severe reaction.
Finally, wheat also poses an additional risk to people who suffer from non-allergic wheat-related medical illnesses. Specifically, people with celiac disease should not consume products like the Dole salad kit in the recall.
What you should do
If you think you’ve experienced an allergic reaction after consuming this type of RTE Chicken Caesar Salad, you should contact your doctor.
Customers who still have the salads at home should return them to the place of purchase. Another option is to throw away the recalled products to ensure that friends and family with allergies don’t eat them.
Finally, you should read the full FSIS recall announcement at this link. You’ll find all the information you need, including contact details for Safeway Fresh Food and the USDA.
