Danone USA has pulled a batch of So Delicious Dairy Free Salted Caramel Cluster Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert pints from store shelves nationwide after finding small stones and other hard objects mixed into the cashew inclusions inside the product. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration posted the voluntary recall notice on September 15, 2026, listing a single UPC code, 744473476138, and warning that swallowing the contaminated pieces could pose a choking or dental hazard.
The affected pints carry best-by dates on or before April 3, 2028, meaning the recall sweeps in the bulk of what was on shelves at the time it was announced rather than a narrow production window. Danone USA, which owns the So Delicious brand, said in a statement carried by outlets covering the recall that the contamination did not reflect the quality customers expect from the brand, and that the company was moving quickly with retail partners to clear the affected pints from shelves.
Cashew inclusions were the source of the contamination
According to the FDA’s recall notice, the hazard was traced specifically to “small stones and other hard objects, within the cashew inclusions” folded into the dessert’s caramel cluster layer, not the dairy-free base itself. So Delicious markets the Salted Caramel Cluster flavor as a coconutmilk-based frozen dessert studded with caramel and nut pieces, and it is that nut component the notice singles out as the point of contamination. A second FDA-hosted version of the same recall record repeats the identical description, confirming the product and hazard language did not change between postings.
Fast Company’s account of the recall noted that Danone identified the problem after fielding customer complaints, then traced it back through its supply chain to the cashew ingredient before notifying the FDA. Neither the agency nor Danone has disclosed how many pints were affected or which states received them beyond describing distribution as nationwide, and no injuries had been confirmed by any source as of this week. ABC News reported that the company’s statement framed the response as an urgent retail sweep rather than a plant-wide shutdown, language consistent with what the FDA notice itself describes.
Refunds, UPC codes and the affected pint
Consumers who have a pint matching the UPC and best-by window are advised not to eat it. Danone is directing shoppers to its consumer care line at 1-833-367-8975, staffed Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern, where representatives can arrange a refund or a replacement coupon. The company’s contact page offers the same options for anyone who prefers to file online rather than call, and it lists the same UPC and best-by information the FDA published so shoppers can check a pint in their freezer without dialing in first.
The FDA notice also instructs retailers to pull any remaining inventory bearing the flagged UPC, a routine step that accompanies most Class II-level food recalls tied to physical contaminants rather than pathogens. Fox Business reported that major grocery chains had begun removing the pints from freezer cases within days of the FDA posting, consistent with Danone’s stated timeline for the retail sweep. That timeline suggests most affected inventory should already be off shelves nationwide, leaving the consumer care line as the main outlet for households that bought a pint before the notice went up.
A recurring hazard in nut-based inclusions
Hard-object contamination in nut inclusions is not unique to this product line. Tree nuts such as cashews are processed in bulk and pass through shelling and sorting equipment that occasionally misses stray stones, shell fragments, or metal fasteners picked up during harvest or transport, and food-safety regulators treat such physical hazards as a distinct recall category from the bacterial contamination that drives most high-profile food alerts. The FDA’s own hazard classification framework places this kind of foreign-material recall in the category reserved for products that could cause temporary or medically reversible injury — a choking risk or a chipped tooth — rather than the more severe classification used for outbreaks tied to Listeria or Salmonella, where illness or death is the concern.
That distinction matters for how the recall has unfolded. There has been no broader plant shutdown, no expansion to other So Delicious flavors beyond the Salted Caramel Cluster pint, and no indication the cashew supplier’s other customers have reported similar complaints. For now, the action remains limited to the single flavor and the one UPC code the FDA listed, with Danone’s consumer-care line standing as the only avenue the company has offered for pint owners seeking a refund or replacement.
Whether Danone identifies a specific batch or supplier lot behind the stones, beyond the single UPC already named, is the detail neither the FDA notice nor the company’s public statement has addressed. Until that surfaces, shoppers with a Salted Caramel Cluster pint bearing UPC 744473476138 and a best-by date on or before April 3, 2028, are the ones the recall covers.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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