What is Tara flour? Daily Harvest identifies ingredients linked to disease and recall

What is Tara flour? Daily Harvest identifies ingredients linked to disease and recall

Daily Harvest has identified tara flour as the ingredient that caused hundreds of customers to become ill after eating the company's French Lentil + Leek Crumbles. The exact reason why tara flour is linked to the illnesses is still unknown, the company said Tuesday.

The news comes after Daily Harvest voluntarily recalled approximately 28,000 bags of French Lentil + Leek Crumbles in June after customers reported gastrointestinal illnesses and potential problems with liver function. As of June 23, Daily Harvest received about 470 reports of illness or adverse reactions to the sprinkles.

A July 14 media release from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) added that the agency also received 277 consumer complaints regarding the sprinkles, including 96 hospitalizations.

“At this time, we have identified tare flour as the source of the problem,” said Rachel Drori, CEO and founder of Daily Harvest, in a company post. “This was the first and only time we used tare flour, which was available and used as a plant-based protein source in the North American market prior to our use.”

Although the company identified tare flour as a problematic ingredient, they were unable to pinpoint a specific cause. According to the press release, Daily Harvest, in collaboration with the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as "top physicians, microbiologists, toxicologists and three independent laboratories," has ruled out a variety of processing issues or infections, including various toxins, foodborne pathogens or allergens.

“Our investigative team will continue to work with the FDA, the Tara flour producer and others to determine what made people sick,” Drori said.

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What is tara flour – and is it harmful?

Tara flour is a plant-based protein alternative made from the seeds or pods of the tara tree, more technically known as Caesalpinia spinosa or spiny holdback. The plant is most widespread in Peru, but grows in several South American countries.

“Tara flour is a relatively rare ingredient used in food processing and is the byproduct of processing the seed of the tara tree—a thorny, tree-like shrub,” Taylor Fazio, MS, RD, CDN, a registered dietitian and wellness consultant at The Lanby in New York City, tells Health.

In the food industry, tara gum—which is not the same as tara flour and was not used in the Daily Harvest products, although it still comes from the same plant—is used as a thickener and stabilizer, but is also commonly used in vegan and gluten-free foods due to its high protein and fiber content and low carbohydrate content, according to Fazio. Other parts of the Tara tree have been used in pharmaceuticals, paint making, and paper or plastic manufacturing.

There is currently no indication from the FDA or Daily Harvest as to what exactly about tara flour has made people sick, but according to Fazio, both tara flour and gum are not inherently toxic, and tara gum is not a common allergen.

The most likely cause of the illnesses - although nothing has yet been identified - may be related to the production and/or processing of the tare flour used. “Because this outbreak appears to be limited to daily harvest, I believe it is related to the particular brand or type of tare flour used,” Kelly Johnson-Arbor, MD, medical toxicologist and co-medical director at the National Capital Poison Center, told Health. “This brings me back to the manufacturing and processing of the product as a potential source of contamination.”

Fazio agrees: "According to recent reports from Daily Harvest and the FDA, the company that sourced the tara flour likely had some cross-contamination in the ingredient, but exact details are not available at this time," she said.

While Daily Harvest and health authorities continue to investigate the cause of the illnesses, the FDA has urged consumers not to eat, sell or serve the recalled products. and to throw away any recalled products that may still be in their freezers.

If you eat the French Lentil + Leek Crumbles and experience jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), dark urine, itching without a rash, gastrointestinal disorders, nausea, fatigue, body aches, severe abdominal pain and/or fever, contact your doctor and tell him or her that you have recently consumed the recalled product.