Health Canada recalled a brand of dark chocolate products in Ontario on Saturday over an undeclared ingredient on its labels — milk.
The health agency said Salento Organics did not declare milk as an ingredient on various dark chocolate products. These include pineapple bites, pitaya (dragon fruit) bites, organic banana dark chocolate clusters and organic peanuts dark chocolate dipped.
“Do not consume recalled products to which you are allergic or sensitive as they may cause a serious or life-threatening reaction,” Health Canada stated on its website.
The agency further advised that Ontarians should throw out or return the products to the locations from which they were purchased.
“There have been no reported reactions associated with the consumption of these products,” said the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in a news release.
According to the CFIA, milk is one of the priority food allergens in the country. When someone consumes or comes into contact with a food allergen, symptoms of an allergic reaction “may develop quickly and rapidly progress from mild to severe.”
The inspection agency’s website lists the symptoms of an allergy, which can vary or bear a combination of signs ranging from (but not limited to) breathing difficulties, a drop in blood pressure, shock to changes in texture and appearance of skin, gastrointestinal issues or dizziness.
The most severe allergic reaction is called anaphylaxis.
Milk — along with peanut, tree nut, shellfish, egg, wheat, sesame and soy — is part of the list of allergens largely responsible for the majority of severe anaphylactic reactions, states Health Canada.
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