Who is Daily Harvest's CEO? Celeb-backed firm RECALLS lentil snack after complaints of LIVER DAMAGE
A vegan food delivery company backed by Serena Williams and Gwyneth Paltrow has recalled a new lentil product after people who used it fell sick with possible liver damage. According to a statement from Daily Harvest, reports received by the company said that French Lentil + Leek Crumbles caused gastrointestinal issues in consumers. Many have claimed that consuming the product has caused liver issues and gallbladder damage.
The company said that they took "immediate steps" to address their customers' concerns, asking them to immediately dispose of the product. "If you have any French Lentil + Leek Crumbles, please dispose of them and do not eat them," the company said in a statement.
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NBC News reported that an email sent to at least one customer offered a $10 credit for every bag of the product purchased by them. The email urged the customer to dispose of their French Lentil + Leek Crumbles out of an "abundance of caution". Lentils must not be eaten raw as it can cause stomach complaints such as diarrhea and vomiting.
Daily Harvest's statement
Daily Harvest's LinkedIn page says, "Daily Harvest is on a mission to make nourishing, plant-based foods more attainable by eliminating barriers to access, cost, and time. With ready-in-minutes foods built on organic fruits and vegetables, Daily Harvest takes care of food so that food can take care of you."
"Since launching nationwide in 2016, Daily Harvest has become one of the fastest-growing direct-to-consumer brands today and was named one of Fast Company’s "World's Most Innovative Companies" in 2018," it adds. "In December 2017, Daily Harvest announced a Series B funding round of $43M led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and VMG Partners, and added Serena Williams and Bobby Flay to its roster of investors." Daily Harvest has at least 24 investors including Lightspeed Venture Partners and Lone Pine Capital, Crunchbase reveals. Among its celebrity investors are tennis icon Serena Williams, NBA superstars Carmelo Anthony and Blake Griffin, Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow and celebrity chef Bobby Flay.
Daily Harvest posted a recall statement on its website, saying, "We’ve received customer reports of French Lentil + Leek Crumbles causing gastrointestinal issues. We took immediate steps to address what we heard from customers, reaching out to every person who received French Lentil + Leek Crumbles, instructing them to dispose of the product and not eat it. We simultaneously launched an investigation with internal and external experts throughout our supply chain and in accordance with regulatory procedures. We will share more information as soon as it’s available."
Who is Daily Harvest's CEO?
Rachel Drori is the founder and CEO of Daily Harvest. The company is known for serving its customers by turning freezers into personalized pantries stocked food, prepared and replenished as it is eaten.
Before starting Daily Harvest, Drori worked as a customer-centric marketing executive. She led teams at Gilt Groupe, American Express, and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. Drori holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Columbia Business School, her LinkedIn profile reveals.
Abby Silverman, a TikTok influencer, posted a video on the platform, saying she received a promotional freebie package from Daily Harvest in May. She claimed that after consuming the lentils, she began having "extreme stomach and gastro pain and went to the hospital, the ER, in the middle of the night." Doctors found that she had elevated liver enzyme level and bacteria in her urine, which meant she could have UTI.
Silverman took antibiotics after being released, but the pain soon returned and she had to return to the ER. The staff reportedly ran several tests but could not diagnose the exact problem. She reportedly later received an email from Daily Harvest warning her of the risks that the product could pose. She subsequently Googled the French Lentil + Leek Crumbles and found that many other people had the same symptoms. Silverman has accused Daily Harvest of deleting comments on social media in an attempt to stop the scandal from coming to the fore.
"I have never had a health issue before until literally I ate this, that’s the only think that’s different about my routine," Silverman said. "I'm not the type of person to put any brand on blast but this is really really serious. People are having serious health issues."
This woman Abby posted a TikTok detailing some sort of liver issues potentially caused by this Daily Harvest lentil mix…the comments had other people chiming in with the same issue! One guy said he got his gallbladder removed this week! pic.twitter.com/OLQQibjqwF
— Shaena Montanari (@DrShaena) June 19, 2022
Luke Tashie, another customer, said she suffered "extreme liver pain" after eating the lentils and had to be hospitalized. He said he did not believe Daily Harvest was taking the issue seriously. The surgeons allegedly considered removing his gallbladder, Tashie said.