Daily Harvest Recall Overview
Daily Harvest, the plant-based food company known for its frozen smoothie bowls and harvest bowls, initiated a voluntary recall in June 2022 of its French Lentil and Leek Crumbles after reports of consumer illness linked to listeria monocytogenes contamination. The FDA identified the contamination through routine testing and illness cluster investigations, prompting the company to pull specific lots from retail shelves and online orders. The recall affected products distributed nationwide through major grocery chains and direct-to-consumer shipments, with the company urging customers to check lot codes and discard or return affected items immediately. For the full FDA recall notice, visit FDA Recalls and Safety Alerts.
The recall highlighted vulnerabilities in the frozen food supply chain, particularly for plant-based products that undergo minimal processing before freezing. Daily Harvest issued public statements detailing the specific UPC codes, best-by dates, and lot numbers involved, and set up a dedicated customer support channel to handle refund requests and safety questions. The company also paused production at the affected facility while conducting internal audits and working with third-party food safety consultants to identify the root cause of the contamination.
Consumer Impact and Safety Guidance
Consumers who purchased the recalled Daily Harvest products were advised not to consume them, even if they appeared or smelled normal, because listeria can cause serious illness, especially in pregnant women, older adults, and immunocompromised individuals. Symptoms of listeriosis include fever, muscle aches, nausea, and diarrhea, and severe cases can lead to hospitalization or life-threatening invasive infections. The CDC reported that listeria causes approximately 1,600 illnesses and 260 deaths annually in the United States, making foodborne pathogen control a critical priority for all frozen food manufacturers. For current CDC food safety data, visit CDC Food Safety Outbreaks.
Daily Harvest offered full refunds and replacement credits for recalled products, and the company updated its website with searchable tools where customers could enter batch codes to verify recall status. Retailers including Amazon, Whole Foods, and Target removed the affected items from their platforms and store shelves as a precautionary measure. The incident also prompted broader discussions about the safety protocols for ready-to-eat frozen foods, particularly those marketed as healthy or organic, and the importance of transparent recall communication.
Regulatory Response and Industry Implications
The FDA and state health departments collaborated on traceback investigations following the Daily Harvest recall, collecting product samples and environmental swabs from the production facility to trace the contamination source. Federal regulators emphasized that voluntary recalls are a standard food safety mechanism that allows companies to act quickly before illnesses escalate into widespread outbreaks. The FDA's Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation (CORE) network was activated to monitor the situation and coordinate with the CDC on epidemiological data collection. For the FDA's CORE network details, visit FDA CORE Network.
The Daily Harvest recall contributed to a broader industry review of sanitation and testing protocols for plant-based and frozen food products, with several competitors announcing enhanced quality assurance measures in response. Industry analysts noted that consumer trust in frozen food brands depends heavily on transparent recall handling and proactive safety investments, and that companies with robust traceability systems recover faster from such incidents. The event also underscored the growing regulatory scrutiny on food safety practices across the $30 billion U.S. frozen food market, where convenience and health trends continue to drive rapid growth.