Daily Harvest

In 2022, Daily Harvest launched The Almond Project to test the impact of four farming methods—conventional, organic, conventional with regenerative practices, and regenerative-organic—in almond farming.^[18]

In 2024, Daily Harvest entered its final year of a three-year project to support small-scale, US-based BIPOC farmers with the transition to organic farming. The company’s partners in this project are the American Farmland Trust and California Certified Organic Farmers. The project offers farmers technical resources like workshops, mentorships, and financial assistance.^[18]

In June 2022, Daily Harvest faced a significant public health crisis and brand controversy regarding its French Lentil + Leek Crumbles product.^[19] Customers began reporting severe gastrointestinal distress and liver dysfunction after consumption, with symptoms including extreme abdominal pain, fever, and, in several dozen cases, requiring gallbladder removal.^[20] After receiving over 470 reports of illness and an investigation was opened by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Daily Harvest issued a voluntary recall of the product.^[21][22]

In July 2022, the company announced that its investigation, conducted in partnership with the FDA, had identified tara flour as the likely source of the illnesses.^[23][22] Tara flour, a high-protein ingredient derived from the tara tree, was a new component in the company's supply chain and was sourced from a single producer for use in the crumbles.^[24][25] The incident led to hundreds^[26] of lawsuits^[27] filed against Daily Harvest by affected consumers seeking damages for medical bills, lost wages, and other hardships.^[28] Two years after the outbreak, the FDA declared tara flour unsafe.^[29][30] The litigation, including the class action, was resolved in early 2025, with payments expected to be made to claimants through the end of the year.^[31][32]

The company's handling of the crisis drew widespread criticism from consumers and in media reports. Daily Harvest's initial communication on June 17 was a direct email to customers who had received the product. Critics described the email's tone as "casual," as it did not use the word "recall" and advised customers to dispose of the lentils out of an "abundance of caution," while offering a $10 credit. Many felt this language failed to convey the seriousness of the reported illnesses. The company also faced backlash for its social media response, where it initially updated old promotional posts for the crumbles with a link to a statement, rather than creating new, prominent warning posts. Critics argued this approach prioritized the brand's "social media aesthetic" over consumer health and safety.^[33][34]

In response to the recall, the company initiated a review of its protocols.^[35] In July of 2025, CEO Ricky Silver told Good Housekeeping the company had implemented “a stricter review of ingredients, particularly novel ingredients” and “added checks to ensure historical validation of ingredients in their products in the U.S. market.”^[35]