Loblaw Companies Limited issues a voluntary recall of President's Choice Ginger Cookie Chips, Canadian authorities confirm. The recall was initiated due to a peanut allergy risk among some unlabelled packages that may contain peanut.
The products affected were those with UPC of 06038316176 and has best before date of 2016 AU 02. Some packages may be incorrectly labelled and pose allergy risks to those who are allergic to peanuts.
Peanut allergy is one of the most common allergies to food. Peanuts are known to cause potentially-fatal allergic reactions or anaphylaxis. People who suffer from this condition might go into anaphylactic shock if left untreated.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that an estimated 3 million children under the age of 18 years have food allergies. In fact, from 1997 to 2007, the cases of food allergies in children increased by 18 percent.
Symptoms of food allergies can range from mild itching, tingling sensation around the mouth and lips, hives, urticaria, bronchospasm and if left untreated, may lead to death. That is why people who have allergies to food are advised to read labels.
"Customers with food allergies are advised not to consume the products and to return them to the store where the customer service desk will provide a full refund," the company said in a press release.
"We apologize for any inconvenience this recall may have caused. The safety of our customers is our foremost concern," they added.
The packages were distributed to banner stores in Ontario, Atlantic, Québec and in the West. There were no reported illnesses caused by the consumption of the product.
Though the recall was initiated by the company, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is conducting an investigation on food safety that may lead to recall of their other products. An update will be released upon findings from the investigation are concluded.
On Oct. 30, the same company recalled their quilted baby jackets. The buttons may be removed by children and can pose a choking hazard. No injuries caused by the products were reported but this was also initiated by the company on their own as abundance of precaution.
