LIDL MD Recall Of Chocolate Advent Calendar For Salmonella Risk

MARYLAND — A chocolate Advent calendar has been recalled by the Lidl grocery chain in Maryland and nine other states because the treat may be tainted with salmonella, federal officials said.

Lidl US, based in Arlington, Virginia, on Tuesday announced the voluntary recall for the 8.4-ounce Favorina branded Advent Calendar (premium chocolate with a creamy filling), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a news release.

Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

Healthy persons infected with salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

In rare circumstances, infection with salmonella can result in more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

Units affected by this recall:

• Were available for sale at Lidl stores between Oct. 12, 2022 and Dec. 5, 2022
• Will have a BEST IF USED BY year of 2023
• Will have a barcode number of 4056489516965

The problem was found during routine testing, Lidl said. The company has received no reports or complaints of illness related to this product to date.

If customers have purchased this product, they should not consume the product, and immediately return it to their nearest Lidl store for a full refund, the FDA said.

Customers with questions should call the Lidl US Customer Care Hotline at 1-844-747-5435 (8 am-8 pm ET, Monday-Saturday).

"Lidl US regrets any inconvenience related to this voluntary recall, which is issued in keeping with our focus on customer health and safety. Our Quality Assurance Department works around-the-clock to ensure that all products on our shelves meet the high-quality standards that we would expect when feeding our own families," the company said in a statement. "We are grateful for all our Lidl US customers who choose to shop with us every day."

Lidl operates more than 12,000 stores and is active in 32 countries. The U.S. headquarters opened in Arlington County, Virginia, in June 2015, and has more than 170 stores across nine East Coast states and Washington, D.C., including about 21 in Maryland.