The FDA is sifting out this specialty ingredient—and new details indicate the risk may pertain to certain regional consumers.
Arrowroot powder has gained buzz and become a pantry staple for gluten-free, Paleo diets, and other health-conscious home cooks seeking a thickening agent substitute for cornstarch or flour. This powder, coming from the tropical arrowroot herb, is prized as a grain-free thickener for gravies, sauces, and baked goods, and a go-to swap for cornstarch in everything from holiday cookies to weeknight stir-fries.
But a new FDA alert will give consumers in at least one U.S. state pause. Woodland Foods LLC, an Illinois-based specialty ingredients company, is recalling its Woodland Gourmet Arrowroot Flour after the “possible presence of foreign material” was discovered in the product, according to an FDA notice.
After a recall was reportedly initiated on January 16 of this year, on February 17, the FDA assigned a Class II recall level to 30,030 pounds of the flour, sold in 55-pound bag-in-box format. A Class II designation means the FDA has determined that exposure to the affected product “may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences,” while the probability of serious harm likely remains remote. From the notice, the nature of the flagged foreign material is unclear.
The FDA notice states that the recall applies to products with the following lot IDs: 2479025, 2478961, 2490352, 2495607, 2494472, 2495650, 2495529, and 2495593. Though this is unconfirmed, the bulk packaging size seems to suggest that the flour was distributed to foodservice accounts, such as restaurants or bakeries. Accounts are said to have been alerted via at least two methods of contact. The recall affects product distributed in Kentucky, though it’s unclear whether product containing the flour may have been distributed past that point.
Woodland Foods’ website says the company began in 1989 “with a single shipment of Chanterelle Mushrooms and has since grown into a leader in the specialty foods industry.” They say today their team travels internationally to source “1,500 unique ingredients, continuously pushing the limits of culinary innovation and ethically sourcing ancient foods that have sustained civilizations for millennia.”
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