Noodle Recall as Urgent Warning Issued Over Products

A chain of world foods stores in California has issued a recall of 3,600 packs of instant noodles after they were found to have packaging that did not reveal the presence of peanuts in the product, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said.

In an alert issued on Monday, the FDA announced that New India Bazar—based in Milpitas, but with eight stores across the state—was recalling 2,400 packets of 280 grams Maggi 2-minute noodles and a further 1,200 packs of the 560-gram alternative over the mislabeling.

"People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to peanuts run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products," it said.

Newsweek approached New India Bazar via email for comment on Tuesday.

Peanut allergy is among the most common adverse food reactions among children in the United States, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. A 2021 study found that around 4.6 million Americans have the condition, over 800,000 of whom appeared to have developed one after becoming an adult.

New India Bazar said the packs that did not reveal the peanut allergen were in a yellow plastic pouch. The 280 grams packets have an expiration date of December this year, while the larger packs expire in January 2024.

The affected packages were distributed to six New India Bazar stores—in Santa Clara, Milpitas, Pleasanton, Dublin, Fremont and San Jose—and may have been sold to consumers, who have been urged to return packs with lot codes 31159939CA and 4354M56 for a full refund.

As of Monday, the FDA said that no illnesses due to the undeclared peanut content had been reported.

The instant noodle recall is just the latest to be prompted by a mislabeling of a potential allergen on food products. Last week, around 1,800 sandwiches were recalled by a Michigan delicatessen over the undeclared presence of sesame, while the week before, 2,048 trays of chocolate brownies were recalled from 14 states as they contained peanuts, but did not show this on the packaging.

A few days earlier, a nationwide supermarket brand recalled a batch of egg custard pies because some of the packages may have contained a coconut pie instead.

Severe peanut allergy can cause anaphylaxis if the legume is ingested, with symptoms including difficulty breathing, a swelling throat and fainting. These cases are usually treated with an injection of adrenaline.

Weaker forms of the allergy can lead to vomiting, stomach cramps, diarrhea, hives and swelling.

A 1999 study suggested that, at the time, around 1.1 percent of the U.S. population, or 3 million people, had an allergy to peanuts, or any tree nuts such as almonds and cashews. However, those with a peanut allergy over two decades had later risen to 2.9 percent of the adult population.