According to a report in Food Safety News, the FDA has now documented 277 reports of illness following consumption of Daily Harvest brand French Lentil and Leek Crumbles.  The number of reports increased from 133 cases on June 30th to 277 on July14th.  The Company has also received more than 470 complaints.  Of the 277 cases recorded by the FDA, 96 have required hospitalization. Patients demonstrate hepatic dysfunction of varying severity with some requiring ICU treatment or cholecystectomy.

At this time neither a pathogen nor toxin has been positively identified as responsible for adverse reactions although circumstantial evidence suggest that tara flour from Peru could be involved. This ingredient was suggested as a possible etiologic agent by Attorney William Marler who observed that Harvest had removed the ingredient from the label of some batches of the specific product during investigations. It is now up to the FDA to ascertain if there is a hepatotoxic agent in the consignment of tara flour incorporated in the product. It is highly probable that the toxin will be identified first by a commercial laboratory commissioned by Marler Clark on behalf of injured clients.   

The implicated product has been recalled although frozen packages may still be in home refrigerators representing a potential health hazard.