Chocolate milk that might have ‘food-grade sanitizer’ went to schools and hospitals
Children’s reaction to ‘food grade sanitizer’ in chocolate milk has turned into yet another not-food-in-your-food recall.
Hiland Dairy Foods said Sunday that only eight cases of its 1% Lowfat Chocolate Milk in half-pint cartons were affected, but it’s recalling 4,800 cases made at its Norman, Oklahoma, facility.
According to the Hiland-written recall notice, the milk went to “institutional customers.” A Hiland spokesman confirmed that meant “food service for any institution” including schools, hospitals and/or prisons.
A Hiland fact sheet on the recall said “properly diluted” Synergex, which maker Ecolab promotes as killing 99% of listeria pathogens on hard food contact surfaces at “no rinse concentration options,” was used on a milk packaging line. The fact sheet downplays the possible health issues by saying the Synergex at this concentration shouldn’t be a problem and the smell and bad taste should keep someone from drinking too much anyway.
“While exposure to this combination of chemicals may be unpleasant and may include gastrointestinal disturbance,” the fact sheet claims, “the chemicals should not be systemically harmful to human health, including children, at the dilutions present in the milk carton.”
Despite this, the company admits, “We were alerted by one of our institutions that children had the above symptoms and that is when we discovered the error.”
The milk went to customers in Dallas; San Antonio and Tyler, Texas; Oklahoma City and western Oklahoma. The cartons carry UPC No. 72060-00156-3, a sell-by date of Jan. 27, 2021, and a plant code No. 4025.
Those with questions can email Hiland Dairy Foods.
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