Following the 2022 outbreak of toxicity involving at least 400 confirmed cases, investigation implicated tara flour as the responsible ingredient.  The product was incorporated in Leek and Lentil Crumbles manufactured and distributed by Daily Harvest.  Tara flour was suggested as the possible cause of the outbreak by Attorney Robert Marler from temporal correlation of cases with the inclusion of the ingredient as denoted on labels.

Investigations by the FDA to identify the specific toxic factor in tara flour were inconclusive.  Incident cases ceased following withdrawal of the Daily Harvest product Based on a paucity of scientific information on the digestibility and toxicity of tara flour, the FDA has withdrawn recognition of the ingredient as a Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS) compound, preventing inclusion in food products.

The important question is not the potential toxicity or specific agent in tara flour but the reality that it took two years for the FDA to respond to the event.  Surely the decision could have been made within a working week given the magnitude of the outbreak and available facts.  Inordinate delays by the Agency place consumers at risk. The tara flour cases represent yet another justification for a dedicated food safety and nutrition agency.