The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning of potentially "life-threatening" allergic reactions after a cookie recall was issued in nine states and the District of Columbia.
The FDA on Monday shared a recall announcement for macarons sold by the German discount grocery chain Lidl at its more than 170 U.S. locations. The voluntary recall was originally issued on Friday and pertains to "Deluxe" branded macaron packages labeled "Party Edition."
"Lidl US has announced a voluntary recall of Deluxe branded Macarons Party Edition due to undeclared allergens," the announcement states. "The recall was issued due to undeclared wheat, soy, egg, milk, and tree nuts (almonds, pistachios, and coconut) in the products as a result of non-English ingredient labeling."
"People who have allergies to any of these run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reactions if they consume these products. Lidl US has received no reports or complaints of illness related to this product to date," it continues.
Lidl said that all of the affected packages have a UPC barcode reading 4056489365365. The macarons were sold at the company's stores in the following locations: Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and D.C.
It was not clear when the macarons were offered for sale. Newsweek reached out for comment to Lidl via email on Monday.
Lidl's announcement stated that "the issue was internally discovered after delivery to our stores. Customers were warned against consuming the product, urged to instead "immediately return it to their nearest Lidl store for a full refund" without needing a receipt.
Those with any further questions about the recall were asked to call the company's U.S. customer care hotline at (844)-747-5435 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday to Saturday.
Although no illnesses were reported in those who ate the affected Lidl macarons, undeclared ingredients have the potential to cause the sometimes deadly allergic condition anaphylaxis.
Earlier this year, a recall was issued for Florentine cookies sold by the Connecticut-based northeastern supermarket chain Stew Leonard's following the death of a woman who ate the cookies without realizing that they contained undeclared peanuts in January.
The victim was later identified as Órla Baxendale, a 25-year-old U.K. national who had moved to New York City to pursue her career as a "world class" dancer, according to NBC New York.
Stew Leonard's and the supplier of the cookies, Cookies United, each issued statements seemingly blaming the other for the tragedy, with the supermarket chain arguing that the product was from an "outside" company and the supplier claiming that the ingredient list had been updated but ignored.
"This is a heartbreaking tragedy that should never have happened," Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Bryan T. Cafferelli said in a statement at the time. "Our condolences go out to the family affected by this incident."
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