Lactaid milk recalled in 27 states due to potential for undeclared almonds
FDA.Gov
(NEW YORK) — Lactaid milk is being recalled due to the potential presence of almonds, a common tree nut allergen.
The Food and Drug Administration and HP Hood LLC announced the voluntary recall Sept. 20.
HP Hood said it discovered the potential almond contamination following a “routine maintenance” review but also said they have not received any reports of any illnesses so far.
Five varieties of refrigerated Lactaid milk in 96-ounce containers are included in the recall – whole milk, 2% milk, 1% milk, fat-free milk, and calcium-enriched milk – for potentially having trace amounts of almonds, which are undeclared in the recalled milk products’ ingredients list.
The recalled milk products were shipped to retailers and wholesalers in 27 states in September.
A list of Lactaid milk containers affected by the recall and their best by dates, product names and expiration dates can be found on FDA’s website.
Customers with the recalled Lactaid milk, which doesn’t contain the lactase sugar found in traditional cow’s milk, are advised to return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund or exchange. Impacted customers can also reach out to Hood Consumer Affairs at 800-242-2423. The call line is available on weekdays between 9 a.m. ET and 5:00 p.m. ET.
In a statement Monday, HP Hood LLC told “Good Morning America,” it was recalling the 96-ounce containers of Lactaid milk “out of an abundance of caution because the product may contain trace amounts of almond, which is not listed on the label.”
“HP Hood, the manufacturer of Lactaid Milk products, has long recognized consumer and public health concerns related to the potential presence of undeclared allergens in food products. Hood’s allergen and sanitation management programs are aligned with all regulatory and industry standards,” the company said.
(NEW YORK) — Youth who identify as LGBTQ+ reported higher rates of poor mental health and experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviors than their cisgender and heterosexual peers, a new U.S. survey found.
In 2023, more than three in five LGBTQ+ — lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning or another non-heterosexual identity — high school students said they experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and more than half reported having poor mental health, according to the latest results of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, published Tuesday morning by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“Across all of those outcomes that we looked at, experience of violence, poor mental health and suicidal thoughts and behaviors, we do see this really significant disparity between LGBTQ+ young people and their cisgender and heterosexual peers,” Dr. Kathleen Ethier, director of the CDC’s division of adolescent and school health, told ABC News. “That has been the case for a while.”
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey is conducted every other year and surveys thousands of high school-age children from public and private schools between grades 9 and 12 across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Ethier said 2023 was the first year that a question on transgender identity was included in the national survey “and so it’s the first time that we’re really able to look at that group as a whole, and the findings are quite stark, as they have been in previous years.”
LGBTQ+ students were more likely than their peers to report experiencing persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, poor mental health and suicidal thoughts and behaviors, according to the survey.
In 2023, 65% said they experienced persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness during the past year compared to 31% of cisgender and heterosexual peers, according to the survey. Additionally, 53% said they experienced poor mental health during the last 30 days in comparison to 21% of their peers, they survey said.
The report also found that 41% of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year and one in five — 20% — did attempt suicide.
LGBTQ+ students were also at higher risk of substance use than their peers. In 2023, LGBTQ+ high school students said they were about twice as likely to have ever used illicit drugs and prescription opioids.
The report found that 26% of LGBTQ+ students said they drank alcohol in the past 30 days compared to 21% of cisgender and heterosexual students. Additionally, 25% of LGBTQ+ students said they used marijuana compared to 14% of their peers.
It also found that 18% of LGBTQ+ students reported having ever misused prescription opioids and 15% reported having ever used illicit drugs. Comparatively, 8% of cisgender and heterosexual students said they had used or misused illicit drugs or prescription opioids.
Additionally, LGBTQ+ students were more likely than cisgender and heterosexual students to currently be misusing prescription opioids — such as codeine, Vicodin, OxyContin, Hydrocodone or Percocet — with 7% of LGBTQ+ youth saying they had misused these drugs in the past 30 days compared to 3% of cisgender and heterosexual students.
What’s more, LGBTQ+ youth were more likely to experience violence, according to the survey. Nearly three in 10 LGBTQ+ students said they were bullied at school and nearly two in 10 missed school because of safety concerns.
In the report, the CDC said schools that have put policies and practices in place in place to support LGBTQ+ youth have seen improved mental health and fewer suicidal thoughts and behaviors among this population as well as among heterosexual and cisgender youth.
“We also know how to make things better for LGBTQ+ young people, and so we know that there are things that their schools could be doing to make them feel safer and more supported, and that when their schools do that, not only do LGBTQ+ young people do better, but their heterosexual peers do better as well,” Ethier said. “And so, we are really focused on making sure that we can do everything that we can do to get those effective policies and practices out there for schools and so that they can create better environments for those young people.”
The report also had some positive findings regarding the general U.S. teen population including a decrease in teen girls saying they experienced persistent sadness and hopelessness between 2021 and 2022 and a decrease in reported attempted suicide among Black youth.
“We’re not out of the woods, yet. We clearly have more work to do,” Ethier said. “But what this tells us is that when we focus in on an issue for young people, when we come together, we do what young people need us to do, we can really make a difference and improve their health and well-being.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide – free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call or text the national lifeline at 988.
(NEW YORK) — A recall on apple juice due to potentially harmful levels of arsenic has expanded to include more brands sold at several additional retailers across the country.
The initial voluntary recall by Refresco Beverages was first announced in a class 2 enforcement report from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month and included 9,535 cases of Great Value 100% Apple Juice sold at Walmart. On Monday, the recall was updated to a total of 133,500 cases of juice, which were sold at several stores in addition to Walmart, under varying brand names.
According to the FDA’s report, the recalled product “contains inorganic arsenic above action level set in guidance to industry.”
“The safety of consumers is always our top priority,” the Tampa, Florida-based Refresco Beverages said in a new statement on its website. “On August 23, 2024, out of an abundance of caution, we voluntarily initiated a recall of some select lots of 100% apple juice products produced using supplier provided concentrate when we became aware that previously manufactured product contained inorganic arsenic slightly above the FDA’s 10 ppb (parts per billion) action level as set by the FDA in June 2023 in the FDA Final Guidance to Industry on Action Level for Inorganic Arsenic in Apple Juice.”
“At this time there are no reported incidents caused by these products,” the statement continued. “We are working diligently to address the situation and encourage consumers to check the FDAs recall list … and use the information on their site to determine if they are in possession of products that fall within this proactive, voluntary recall.”
Apple juice recall expands to more brands, retailers
The newly expanded recall now includes juice that was sold at Aldi, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Market Basket, Walgreens and Weis Markets, under brands such as Nice! 100% Apple Juice and Clover Valley 100% Apple Juice, among others.
Click here for the full list of affected products from the FDA.
Originally, the Great Value brand apple juice sold at Walmart in 25 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia was the only brand recalled by Refresco Beverages.
Product details of recalled apple juice by store
The first wave of contaminated Great Value beverages in question were sold in six-packs of 8-ounce plastic bottles with the UPC code 0-78742-29655-5. The product had a “best if used by” date code of DEC2824 CT89-6.
All of the products were produced by Tampa, Florida-based Refresco Beverages US Inc.
Below, see details for the items included in the newly expanded recall.
Walmart
Recalled products sold at Walmart include Great Value 8-ounce Apple Juice in six-pack plastic bottles with “best if used by” dates of Dec. 26 and Dec. 27, 2024, and Great Value 96-ounce Apple Juice with “best by” dates of Dec. 26, Dec. 27 and Dec. 28, 2024.
The six-pack juice bottles were sold in stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia. The 96-ounce containers were sold in Walmart stores in Indiana, Ohio, Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico and Virginia.
Aldi
Aldi is recalling Nature’s Nectar 64-ounce plastic bottles of 100% Apple Juice with “best by” dates of March 26 and 27, 2025. This product bears the UPC code 4099100036381 and was sold at Aldi stores in 16 states including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, West Virginia and Wisconsin, according to a press release from Aldi U.S.
Walgreens
Walgreens is recalling Nice! 100% Apple Juice 64-ounce bottles with a March 25, 2025, “best by” date. The products were sold in Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Key Food
Key Food is recalling Urban Meadow 100% Apple Juice sold in 64-ounce bottles with a March 26, 2025, “best by” date. The products were sold in Pennsylvania stores.
BJ’s Wholesale Club
BJ’s Wholesale Club is recalling Wellsley Farms 100% Apple Juice 96-ounce bottles with a “best by” date of March 26, 2025. These products were sold in Florida, Massachusetts and New Jersey.
Dollar General
Dollar General is recalling Clover Valley 100% Apple Juice with a “best by” date of March 27, 2025. The product was sold at the discount retailer locations in Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, New York, Ohio and South Carolina.
Weis
Weis 100% Apple Juice 64-ounce bottles with a “sell by”‘ date of March 25, 2025, are also impacted by the expanded recall. The products were sold at stores in Pennsylvania and Maryland.
Market Basket
The supermarket chain is recalling Market Basket 100% Apple Juice from concentrate in 64-ounce plastic bottles with the “best by” date March 25, 2025. The impacted product was sold in Maine.
Lidl
Lidl is recalling Solevita 100% Apple Juice 64-ounce plastic bottles with the “best by” date March 27, 2025. This product was sold in Virginia.
Company responds to apple juice recalled over arsenic levels
In an earlier statement to ABC News when the recall was first initiated, a representative for Refresco said, “We are aware that certain lots of the 100% apple juice we previously manufactured contains inorganic arsenic slightly above the FDA’s 10 ppb (parts per billion) action level in the FDA Final Guidance to Industry on Action Level for Inorganic Arsenic in Apple Juice, which aims at reducing the dietary exposure of contaminants to as low as possible. As a result, impacted products are being voluntarily recalled.”
The statement continued, “At this time there are no reported complaints or incidents of illness caused by the product. Per the FDA, it is not possible to completely prevent arsenic from entering the food supply, yet exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic can have adverse health effects.”
The representative added that “the safety of consumers and the satisfaction of our customers are our top priorities” and that the company is “working diligently to address the situation.”
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story was published on Aug. 26, 2024.
(NEW YORK) — The U.S. surgeon general is calling for a “fundamental shift” in how the mental health and well-being of parents is supported and prioritized.
In a health advisory released Wednesday, Dr. Vivek Murthy, himself a father of two, said parents and caregivers are struggling amid a youth mental health crisis, financial difficulties, social media issues and more.
“Parents typically don’t talk about this all the time,” Murthy said in an interview that aired Wednesday on ABC News’ Good Morning America. “They tend to focus on their kids’ health and well-being, but there’s also this sense of shame and guilt, sometimes around struggling as a parent.”
Citing statistics that show parents are consistently more likely to report high levels of stress than other adults, Murthy wrote in the advisory there needs to be a culture shift and an all-hands-on-deck approach to supporting parents from employers, government agencies, health care providers and local communities.
According to the advisory, 48% of parents say most days, their stress is completely overwhelming, compared to 26% of other adults without kids.
“Supporting parents and caregivers will require a series of thoughtful policy changes and expanded community programs that will help ensure parents and caregivers can get time off to be with a sick child, secure affordable child care, access reliable mental health care, and benefit from places and initiatives that support social connection and community,” Murthy wrote. “It will also require us to rethink cultural norms around parenting.”
He continued, “Part of that will involve shifting how we value parenting. The work of raising a child is work, no less valuable than the work performed in a paid job and of extraordinary value when it comes to the impact on the future of society.”
According to the advisory, more than 60 million parents in the U.S. live with children under the age of 18.
The U.S. is currently one of seven countries globally that does not have any guaranteed form of universal paid leave, according to a petition to pass paid leave on a federal level in the U.S. that was delivered to all members of Congress in July.
Data released by the U.S. Census Bureau earlier this year found that, on average, families pay between 8% to 19% of their income per child on child care.
Kaitlyn Niles, a 34-year-old working mom of two, told GMA that she feels the pressure to balance her career and family and to meet the often unattainable standard of parenting set by society.
“There’s so much pressure on parents to spend all of this quality time with your kids, like sit on the ground and play pretend with your 4-year-old, you know,” Niles said. “And when you think about it logically, it’s like, there’s no way my mom was able to do that with six kids.”
Meanwhile, Eric Martinez, a father of two from Colorado, said he has had to learn new strategies in limiting his kids’ access to technology and social media.
“Navigating those conversations can be challenging because it’s new. It’s new for all of us,” he told GMA. “You know, we didn’t share this experience growing up. We didn’t have access to this technology when we were 7, 8, 9, 10 years old, so we’re kind of figuring this out as we go along.”
Murthy stated in this week’s advisory that the stressors parents are experiencing have made them vulnerable to the nationwide epidemic of loneliness and isolation.
“It also turns out that parents are struggling with loneliness at a much higher level than other adults, particularly single parents,” Murthy said, speaking with GMA.
In his advisory, Murthy noted that parents and caregivers should remember that it’s OK to set healthy boundaries and take time for themselves, which in turn will make them better supports for their family.
In addition, parents and caregivers are encouraged to “nurture connections” with other parents and caregivers and to seek professional mental health support when needed.
If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal, substance use or other mental health crises, please call or text 988. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org.
