According to the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to date, 89 people have reported illnesses associated with their consumption of Chobani yogurt, which was recently recalled.
Some reports include complaints of nausea and cramps after consumption of the recalled Chobani yogurt, FDA spokeswoman, Tamara Ward, said, according to MagicValley.com; no cases have been confirmed. Although the agency is not investigating Chobani, the FDA is collaborating with the yogurt maker to speed the recall process, Ward said.
Last week, Chobani advised grocery stores nationwide to destroy the 35 yogurt varieties that were likely tainted with a mold seen in dairy, fruits, and vegetables. By last week, 95 percent of the recalled yogurt was recalled, according to MagicValley.com
Although public health officials said the recalled yogurt was not a public health threat, Chobani issued a statement that read, in part, that, “The mold can act as an opportunistic pathogen for those with compromised immune systems,” MagicValley.com. reported. In a recent email issued by Chobani, Amy Juaristi, company spokeswoman, wrote, “We identified the source of the issue in the plant, and have taken corrective action designed to prevent this from happening again.” Chobani did not release any further information on the remedy and how the outbreak occurred.
The recalled yogurt cups bear the code 16-012 and expiration dates from September 11 to October 7, 2013.
Reports included that the Chobani product was bloating and swelling. Chobani was also answering customers online over concerns about their yogurt. One consumer wrote that her Chobani yogurt was “unnervingly fizzy”; another consumer said the yogurt tasted like “wine.
The recalled Chobani yogurt was distributed nationwide from Chobani’s Twin Falls, Idaho facility and was delivered to consumers through retail and club stores. A complete list of the UPCs involved can be accessed on the FDA website at: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm367298.htm.
Consumers who have purchased the recalled Chobani yogurt are advised to discard the product and contact Chobani’s Customer Loyalty Team at chobani.com/care or by telephone, toll-free, at 1.877.847.6181 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET).
In an interview with the Associated Press (AP), Chobani CEO, Hamid Ulukaya, recently said that it was Chobani’s decision to implement the recall and that the problem has been “totally fixed,” pointing out that the mold became an issue because Chobani does not use preservatives in its products.
At the time of its recent interview with the AP, Ulukaya would not provide the number of illness reports Chobani received, but said that it was not in the hundreds or thousands. “Everybody in the company took this hard,” Ulukaya said. “It shook us up,” he told the AP.
