Dark chocolate bars recalled for containing milk protein

If your business doesn’t have an accurate and updated list of possible allergens, it might risk accidentally discovering the presence of these elements in one of its major products. And this might lead to a recall.

The FDA reported that it has detected milk protein in some of the chocolate products of Simply Natural Foods. Specifically, their Simply Lite “50% Cacao Low Carb Sugar Free Dark Chocolate” bar contains this substance, but it is not identified on the product’s label.

What makes this a good learning lesson for other companies is that Simply Natural probably thought it was covered. The release notes that the efforts already made by the company simply weren’t enough to account for the actual presence of milk protein in this product.

“Although the product label bears the advisory statement ‘may contain traces of milk,’ the amount of milk protein found in the samples of this product is not what the scientific community and consumers may regard as trace amounts,” the FDA states in this document.

The presence of milk in various food items, or even the drinking of it by itself, seems to be undergoing a shift in public opinion. As the Seattle Times columnist Carrie Dennett recently noted, alternative milks derived from almonds and other non-dairy sources seem to be more prevalent due to their lower calorie content and more allergy-friendly contents.

Using a color label printer can be helpful in making these ingredients more obvious to the consumer. You can use specificity and bright colors to catch the attention of those purchasers who might be especially at risk. In this situation, that would be those with lactose sensitivities.