Salad Recall for Eight States Over Allergic Reaction Warning

A brand of chicken salad has been recalled from stores across eight states due to “Possible Undeclared Egg Allergen.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Friday that the “Asian Sesame Salad with Chicken & Asian Dressing” product, sold by Wegmans Food Markets, was being voluntarily recalled by the retailer.

Wegmans Food Markets stores can be found in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Delaware, and Washington, D.C.

The recalled products have UPC codes starting with 2-27306, with Packed Dates between November 5 and November 8, and Sell By Dates between November 7 and November 10.

“All product may be returned for a full refund,” the FDA explained in a notice.

Newsweek has contacted Wegmans Food Markets for comment.

Eggs are one of the nine major food allergens listed in the 2021 Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research (FASTER) Act. These also include milk, fish, shellfish, tree nuts—such as almonds, walnuts and pecans—peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame.

The proteins in egg whites, such as ovomucoid, ovalbumin, and ovotransferrin, are usually the cause of allergic reactions, though some people are allergic to yolk proteins as well.

“Proper labeling of foods helps allergic consumers identify foods or ingredients that they should avoid,” the FDA explains.

If someone eats food they’re allergic to, their immune system mistakenly identifies certain proteins in the food as harmful, triggering an allergic reaction. Symptoms may appear within a few minutes, and can include skin rash, tingling mouth, swelling of the face, tongue or lips, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramping, coughing, dizziness, and swelling of the throat.

In severe cases, eating an allergen can lead to anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening reaction involving difficulty breathing, swelling of the throat, a rapid or weak pulse, and even loss of consciousness.

“Symptoms of anaphylaxis may start out as relatively mild but, if not treated promptly, symptoms can become life-threatening in a short amount of time,” the FDA explains. “Recognizing early symptoms of anaphylaxis and prompt injection of the drug epinephrine and other medical care or intervention can help prevent life-threatening consequences.”

Epinephrine injections are often carried by people with severe allergies as an auto-injector like an EpiPen. Epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, works quickly to counteract many of the dangerous symptoms of an allergic reaction, relaxing the muscles around the airways, helping to relieve breathing difficulties and wheezing. It also constricts blood vessels, raising blood pressure to safer levels.

If you have a known food allergy, avoiding the allergen and reading food labels carefully is essential.

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