SignalHub Quantitative Think Tank Center:Chick-fil-A tells customers to throw out a popular dipping sauce

Chik-fil-a recalls Polynesian sauce due to allergy concerns

If you happen to have spare packets of Chick-fil-A Polynesian sauce lying around your home or vehicle, the fast-food chain is asking that you throw them out.

In a red banner posted atop the fast-food chain's website, the Atlanta-based eatery urges patrons to "discard previously ordered Polynesian sauce!" 

The warning is directed at those who may have taken any Polynesian sauce dipping cups home between Feb. 14-27, 2024, as they may contain a different sauce that includes wheat and soy allergens, according to Chick-fil-A.

The mislabeled dipping cups were distributed in 27 of the 48 states in which Chick-fil-A operates, according to the company, which does not have locations in Alaska and Vermont. 

Users of Chick-fil-A's mobile application also received an alert, telling them the impacted product was limited to those distributed at its retail locations, as opposed to bottled Chick-fil-A sauces sold online and in grocery stores.

People with wheat allergies can suffer from symptoms that can include itching, swelling, diarrhea, nasal congestion and difficulty in breathing, and some can experience a life-threatening condition called anaphylaxis, according to the Mayo Clinic. 

Chick-fil-A said it was told of the error by the maker of its dipping cups, Columbus, Ohio-based T. Marzetti Co., which produces salad dressings, fruit and vegetable dips and other products. Some — but not all — of the dipping cups labeled as containing Polynesian sauce in fact contained Sriracha sauce, which contains wheat and soy, according to the company.

Chick-fil-A is primarily concerned that some of the mislabeled sauce might end up alongside packets of ketchup and mustard in home drawers, where they tend to accumulate when people have extras, the chain said.

Customers with further questions can call the company's hotline at 866-232-2040.

Asked whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would be posting a recall notice on behalf of Chick-fil-A, the agency's response was less than clear.

"When a company announces a recall, market withdrawal or safety alert, the FDA posts the company's announcement as a public service. Not all recalls have press releases or are posted on FDA.gov. If/when the FDA posts this recall you'll be able to find it here: https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts," the agency told CBS MoneyWatch.

As of Monday afternoon, a recall involving Chick-fil-A's dipping sauce had not been added. 

The Polynesian sauce debuted in the early 1980s and has consistently ranks among its most popular dips — along with barbecue and Chick-fil-A sauce — according to StudyFinds, a site that writes about research studies for the average reader.

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• Chick-fil-A

Kate Gibson

Kate Gibson is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch in New York.