Holiday Candy Recalled For Deadly Contamination
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‘Tis the season for all your favorite treats to snack on during the holiday season. But when consumers purchased Cranberry Sweets & More’s Mint Meltaways, they got more than what was advertised on the label, and the company issued a recall of the product. The candy recall is due to peanuts being used as an ingredient in the Mint Meltaways, which would have potentially deadly consequences if the candy were to be exposed to a person who has a peanut allergy.
As of this writing, there have been no illnesses or deaths reported, but it is crucial that this information gets out to the general public so that anyone that may have purchased the item is aware that the candy does contain peanuts. According to Consumer Affairs, “The recalled product, lot #032123, packaged in 4-oz and 8-oz. clear cellophane bags with no UPC code, was shipped to retail stores in Oregon and Washington, and sold nationwide through mail orders starting September 21, 2022.” If you know someone that may be affected by this candy recall, we urge you to pass this information to them as soon as possible to avoid a potentially tragic outcome if someone with a peanut allergy is exposed to this product.
As we have learned over the past few decades, peanut allergies are extremely dangerous to those that are afflicted with them. The sensitivity of a person’s allergy determines what type of reaction they could have. Some of the reactions a person with a peanut allergy could exhibit are skin reactions like hives, redness, swelling, itching, and tingling around the mouth and throat, and digestive problems like diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, or vomiting.
Some additional side effects of peanut exposure to someone allergic to them are impaired breathing, swelling of the throat, a sudden drop in blood pressure, pale skin, blue lips, fainting, and dizziness. These are all signs that an individual is experiencing anaphylaxis, and if there is epinephrine immediately available to be administered, do so right away. If that medication is not available, then they are in dire need of medical attention, and if not provided, the victim will most likely die.
When an error of this magnitude is made by a company like the one in this candy recall, it potentially could have dire consequences attached to it. When people purchase a product, they trust the company that manufactured it to represent the contents of that product on the label clearly and accurately. In this case, the company clearly did not do its due diligence to ensure that the contents were accurately communicated to its consumers.
People that suffer from peanut allergies depend on these labels to make purchasing decisions that influence whether they live or die. This mistake, in my opinion, is a clearly negligent act committed by Cranberry Sweets and More which should have legal consequences brought on by our government in the local jurisdiction. At the very least it should consist of a monetary penalty as well as protocols being put in place for that company to triple-check their product’s ingredients before it is allowed to be marketed and sold to the public.
