The FDA has announced a recall of hummus sold in specialty stores on the East Coast, saying there is a risk of temporary or medically reversible adverse health effects from the delicious edible.
The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection is warning the public that Carrot Top Country Kitchens LLC is removing five specific varieties of its hummus from store shelves due to an allergen they added but did not declare.
The Class II recall was initiated because the products contain sesame, an off-label ingredient and a major food allergen.
The affected flavors include lemon garlic, lime ginger, white truffle, sun-dried tomato, caper and cherry pepper hummus. Each recalled product comes in an 8-ounce plastic container with the flavor label.
The hummus was distributed to the Rochambeau Farm Store in Bedford, New York, and was also sold at several farmers markets in Connecticut.
However, due to the undeclared allergen, sesame, the FDA has recalled the product.
A sesame allergy occurs when a genetic predisposition comes into contact with environmental influences, which are of crucial importance because of whether sesame is first encountered through the skin, which can sensitize, or through the diet, which can protect.
At some point in life, the immune system may become sensitive to sesame without a person showing symptoms of allergy.
When a person is exposed to sesame again, the immune system is already on high alert and reacts aggressively, producing antibodies called IgE and producing inflammatory chemicals called histamine.
Symptoms usually begin within minutes to two hours and can affect multiple organ systems and present as hives, itching, or tingling in the mouth, but can quickly progress to severe respiratory distress, a dangerous drop in blood pressure, and systemic shock, a dangerous condition known as anaphylaxis.
