By Kat TenbargeNBC
News
A popular meal delivery service has recalled a lentil-based food product,
French Lentil + Leek Crumbles
, after customers reported for days online about gastrointestinal problems they suffered after eating the food.
Daily Harvest, the brand that sells the product, is known for its influencer endorsements and is comparable to services like Blue Apron and Hello Fresh.
Daily Harvest posted a statement on its website on Sunday saying it was withdrawing the product from circulation.
NBC News saw an email the company sent Friday to a customer asking him to throw out the lentils "out of an abundance of caution" and offering a $10 credit for each bag of product purchased.
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"A small number of customers have reported gastrointestinal discomfort after consuming our French Lentil + Leek Crumbles," the email said.
“As included in our cooking instructions, the lentils should be fully cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F,” he detailed.
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In its statement, Daily Harvest wrote that it is "launching an investigation with internal and external experts" throughout its supply chain "and in accordance with regulatory procedures."
On social media, Daily Harvest customers have reported having to be hospitalized and experiencing severe stomach pains.
Luke Tashie, who shared the email he received from Daily Harvest, says he doesn't think the company is taking a serious or quick enough approach to the situation.
Tashie, who wrote in an email that he had "extreme liver pain" and was hospitalized after taking the product, said he is concerned about long-term liver damage.
“
The surgeons who checked me out were so perplexed that they seriously considered removing my gallbladder
,” Tashie wrote.
Liza Torborg, director of communications for the Mayo Clinic, wrote in 2018 that the protein in raw lentils that can cause negative health effects would have to be consumed in large amounts outside of a normal diet to be a concern.
She also wrote that the protein, lectin, breaks down when it is processed and cooked.
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Dozens of customer testimonials similar to Tashie's have been posted on a Daily Harvest Reddit page and in Instagram comments on the Daily Harvest account, which has more than 600,000 followers and was responding to customer complaints about the product. since Wednesday.
The company did not respond to requests for comment on the timeline for its official response.
