The direct consumer brand has long used a network of online influencers to promote their products. Several influencers who now say they are sick say the company’s sluggish response to the crisis has placed a new responsibility on the affected community to warn the public.
It also reveals the rapid complications that can occur when you suffer from a demographic stratum with such a vast internet.
“What sets them up as a multibillion-dollar appraisal company is all those influencers who market for them,” he said. “Right now, it’s the influencers who warn the public that if you eat this product, you could end up in the hospital.”
“I’ve never been in so much pain – it’s the first time I’ve felt helpless,” Silverstein said after consuming the product.
In response to CNN Business’s numerous requests for comment, the Daily Harvest posted the latest update on its website regarding the company’s voluntary recall.
“We want to make sure you have the latest update on our French Lentil + Leek Crumbles voluntary recall. We take it very seriously and do our best to get to the bottom of it. Your health and well-being are paramount. Priority,” the blog post said. adds that he has been in contact with affected customers and has taken a number of steps to investigate the cause.
“We are working with a team of experts – including microbiologists, toxins and pathogens specialists, as well as allergists – to help you get under it,” the Daily Harvest said in a statement. “All pathogen and toxicology results were very negative, but we continue to conduct extensive testing and will update you.”
On June 17, the company sent emails to people who first bought the product, saying “a small number of customers reported gastrointestinal problems” after consuming the crumbs, and still urged those who owned them to throw them away. He first issued a statement on June 19 warning the public not to consume scraps.
Launched in 2016, Daily Harvest’s emergence as a household name has largely been linked to its aggressive social media campaigns. The company has received many celebrities, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Serena Williams (Peltrow and Williams did not immediately respond to CNN Business’s commentary).
Influencers follow a single source for mysterious symptoms
Silverstein said he spent time at the ambulance center where doctors fled to figure out what was wrong. He tested negative for all forms of hepatitis, which was initially suspected, and as a result performed a series of blood tests that showed liver enzymes off schedule. He says the levels of important liver enzymes are twelve times higher than normal.
He spent weeks without knowing the cause of the mysterious illness until he said his wife saw a post from content creator Luke Wesley Pearson of Portland. Pearson reported shockingly similar symptoms, and both realized they had received the scrap from the company before it was released to the public market.
Pearson told CNN Business that he underwent emergency surgery to remove his gallbladder on June 12 after suffering from gastrointestinal problems after a small meal.
Pearson says he tried lentil crushing twice, both of which caused severe stomach pains. But it was the second attempt to send him to ER. After symptoms such as “unbearable” stomach pain, fever, chills, itchy hands and feet, and jaundice, Pearson underwent tests to detect elevated liver enzymes such as Silverstein, as well as high bilirubin. The doctors finally decided to remove Pearson’s gallbladder.
“It’s interesting because I’ve seen a lot of people try Daily Harvest on social media over the years, so I said ‘yes’ to the PR package,” Silverman told CNN Business.
“All of this health has simply caused a great deal of concern,” said Silverman, a lawyer who holds the Apostle. “Obviously I wasn’t expecting it. I made the video because I felt it, because I feel people aren’t doing enough to be aware of what’s going on – I thought people still have it in the freezer.”
“We are investigating and evaluating all legal remedies for Abby, who became ill after consuming this product sent to her,” Apostolos said.
Another customer who removed the gallbladder was Candice Smith, who told CNN Business that she thought she had a heart attack after taking the product. “It was the worst night of my life,” said Smith, director general of public relations for the French press in Raleigh. enzymes. His gallbladder was removed on June 19.
The company declined to comment on claims that customers have undergone gallbladder surgery for the product. Everyone who spoke to CNN Business said doctors were initially confused by their symptoms.
Smith said he had no relevant medical condition before going to the hospital. “I’m trying to be healthy. I’m eating plant-based foods, I’m trying to do everything right,” Smith said. “What am I doing here? Why am I here? Why am I in so much pain in my life?”
The company’s response was met with sensitivity
Caroline Sweet, a freelance actor and writer in Los Angeles, said she was in the emergency room after a CT scan after enduring “absolutely double pain” when she received an email from the Daily Harvest informing her on June 17. throw away the crumbs and offer him a $ 10 store loan. (The company said in a blog post that all consumers are given credit for the recalled product).
“It was like a big f ** k,” Sweet said of the email. “It feels like a big slap in the face for them to treat me so badly.”
Sarah Schacht, a consultant and property manager in Seattle, said she was “severely ill” in the same way after consuming the product, which she initially said was for organic and healthy marketing. “Everyone on the Internet has been offered Daily Harvest ads, haven’t they?” he said.
Silverstein, meanwhile, said he was incredibly concerned about the Daily Harvest Instagram post, which was used to alert customers about the recall. The article, published on June 19, simply used a previous promotional image of the collapse and aimed to link people to a “critical message” that led to a blog post about the voluntary recall. Silverstein said that at first glance, most people would think that this post introduces the product. The Daily Harvest has since deleted the post it cited from its Instagram account, which has been widely reported as insensitive.
The FDA said in a statement to CNN Business that it could not confirm or deny that an investigation had taken place that was not listed on its website. “However, the FDA takes seriously reports of possible food fraud that could lead to illness or injury,” an FDA spokesman said.
The agency added that when a special consumer guide is developed, the FDA and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will publish recommendations on the epidemic that will make the guide available to the public.
“I’m very angry because we’re all in unanswered darkness,” Pearson said. “I know that accidents happen in the food industry all the time, and I’ve just seen other companies that are completely transparent, telling loudly and clearly what happened, what the next steps were, and what they learned. . till now.”
Silverstein added that he feels some of the burden has fallen on those affected to warn viewers. When a company sends emails to customers and posts a statement on its website, it thinks it needs to do more to keep people informed on social media.
He and his wife, who have worked with the Daily Harvest for about five years and have had no problems in the past, said they had no choice but to “cut ties with them.”
