Australians have described the terrifying moment they had bad reactions to Cocobella yoghurt after these products were recalled a week ago.
On Thursday, a popular dairy-free product line announced an urgent recall for their 110g Cocobella coconut yogurt pouches available in banana, mango, and strawberry flavors.
But a day later, it extended the notice to all Cocobella Coconut Yoghurt products.
The brand published a statement on Friday saying the presence of an undeclared allergen of milk had been identified in some product lines.
Reports indicate that a number of consumers have experienced adverse reactions after consuming the yogurt, with Cocobella confirming that at least 10 individuals required hospitalization.
Grace Kolo, a woman from Melbourne, shared that her one-year-old son, who is allergic to dairy and eggs, experienced a severe reaction from consuming Cocobella yogurt daily, unaware of its dairy traces.
‘In the beginning, for about 30 minutes, 40 minutes, he just kept sneezing, non-stop,’ she told 7News.
The symptoms worsened, even after she gave her son Telfast, believing it was hay fever, she said.
A Melbourne mother has claimed her one-year-old son, who is allergic to dairy and egg, had a severe reaction after consuming Cocobella yoghurt daily
The toddler started crying, his existing skin rashes flared up and then he began to have difficulty swallowing.
She said he was coughing as well as experiencing itchy eyes and shortness of breath.
‘It looked like his body was trying to reject what was in there, so I called the ambulance straight away,’ she said.
After calling an ambulance, Ms Kolo said paramedics asked if her son had eaten anything that could have caused a flare-up.
‘Obviously I said, no, because the yoghurt is safe, right? It doesn’t have dairy in it,’ she said.
Ms Kolo then said after the incident friends had sent her the recall alerts: ‘I couldn’t believe it – I just couldn’t believe it.’
‘When they showed me, I thought, ‘This is why?’ Because we were scratching our heads… It was just insane because it was just out of nowhere’
The mother has claimed the yoghurt may have been responsible for her son’s previous skin flare-ups as well.
Cocobella issued urgent recall notices for all of its yoghurt products last week
Another parent from Victoria, going by the name Nate, mentioned that after giving his two-year-old son a Cocobella banana yogurt, the child started coughing and had difficulty breathing.
‘It was honestly the most traumatic experience of my wife’s and my lives,’ he said.
‘He started snorting through his nose to try to get oxygen in. He had hives everywhere, his eyelids and lips were swollen, his whole body was red.
‘At that point, my wife says that she honestly thought that we were about to lose him.’
The boy was treated for his anaphylactic reaction with a shot of adrenaline at hospital.
‘It was evident because he had been napping during the day, and upon waking, he ate nothing else but the Cocobella,’ Nate explained.
A third case involves a 40-year-old man from Melbourne, referred to as Billy Jacobs, who suffers from a serious condition due to vitamin B6 toxicity, requiring a diet of mainly liquids and soft foods.
He said he thought Cocobella yoghurts were safe but had become more unwell.
Initially it had only issued an urgent product recall for 110g Cocobella coconut yoghurt pouches in banana, mango, and strawberry flavours
‘I was relying on that yoghurt to help me try to get calories in and nutrients, but instead it made me sicker,’ he told 7News.
‘(It caused) more stomach issues, pain, breathing problems, dizzy (and) heavy headaches… nose, throat, chest… I was already suffering, and this just made it 100 times worse. I didn’t know why.’
Mr Jacobs said he spotted a recall notice on Facebook and he then realised it had made him feel worse.
‘The only one that used to taste good was making me feel horrible,’ Jacobs said.
Cocobella has said the investigations into the cause remained ongoing and issued a statement last week, addressing the recall.
‘While the majority of product lines have tested negative to the allergen, we felt the wider recall was the best course of action to ensure public safety while we continue the investigation,’ it said.
Asked to comment on allegations the yoghurt had caused allergic reactions, the company confirmed it was aware of 10 reports of hospital admissions suspected to have been caused by consumers with a milk allergy eating a Cocobella yoghurt product.
‘We are in touch with all of those who have contacted us, and are thankful everyone affected is now home,’ they said in a statement to the Daily Mail.
Cocobella said it was aware of 10 reports of hospital admissions suspected to have been caused by consumers with a milk allergy eating a Cocobella yoghurt product
‘We’re deeply sorry to anyone who has become ill, and are encouraging anyone else with concerns to contact us directly,’ the statement said.
A spokesperson for Food Standards Australia New Zealand warned that consumers with a milk allergy or intolerance should not eat these products.
‘Cocobella Coconut Yoghurt Products have been recalled nationally and online due to the presence of milk in products labelled as dairy free,’ they said.
‘Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is working closely with state and territory food authorities and the affected business to ensure products are removed from the market and encourages anyone with these products at home to not consume them and return them for a refund.’
They said FSANZ worked closely with Dairy Food Safety Victoria to coordinate the recall and ‘ensure swift action was taken to protect consumers’.
The products can be returned to the place of purchase for a full refund.
