It can be found in an iced drink that's recently bubbled up in popularity, but an unlabeled ingredient has prompted a warning.
4,500 Cases of Creamer Recalled at the Nation’s Highest Risk Level
Published on Apr. 29, 2025
If you shop within the abundance of non-dairy food and drink options that now exist, such as soy milk or dairy-free cheese, there’s a strong chance it’s because you’re conscious not to consume dairy—whether for dietary or ethical reasons.
But as outside temps gradually rise, consumers recently may have been exposed to dairy while sipping on an increasingly popular iced beverage that was supposed to be dairy-free, says a report from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
On Tuesday, the agency alerted the public about an April 10 recall of approximately 4,500 cases of Mo-Cha Brand Premium Non-Dairy Creamer, saying “all product on the market is affected.”
The reason for the recall is that dairy milk was not declared on the label. More than six million Americans are allergic to milk, and it’s one of the four most common food allergies for both adults and children, according to Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE). The FDA includes milk as one of nine major food allergens that must be “be specifically labeled with the name of the allergen source” on most packaged food products.
As such, the recall received a Class I designation, which the FDA calls “a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.”
The provided product details for the recall are:
- MO-CHA brand Premium Non-Dairy Creamer
- Shelf Life: 24 months
- Net Weight (NET WT): 2.2 lbs. (1 kg)
- Imported by Momo Tea Inc.
- Product of China
Three states received the product: New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
The provided address for the recalling firm, Maspeth, NY-based Momo Tea Inc., matches one for a bubble tea supplier, MoCha. (It is not clear why the FDA’s provided spelling of the company’s name is slightly different.) MoCha’s website says they are “the most dedicated and professional bubble tea supplier in North America,” providing bubble tea ingredients as well as packaging.
The report also includes an ingredients list for the creamer: glucose syrup, refined vegetable oil, whey powder, sugar, casein, emulsifier (471, 481i), stabilizer (340ii, 452i), anti-caking agent (551), and food flavor.
Though the FDA does not further discuss which ingredients are associated with the milk warning, both whey powder and casein are found in milk, per the Cleveland Clinic: “Casein makes up about 80% of the protein found in milk. The other 20% comes from whey protein.”
Bubble tea, first popularized in Taiwan but now a mainstream beverage in the West, is also sometimes referred to as “boba tea.” Bubble tea is generally a sweetened drink made with a tea base (usually black tea) mixed with milk (or non-dairy creamer), flavoring, and tapioca balls (also known as “boba”).
It’s unlikely that the recalled creamer was available for consumers to purchase directly, but it is worth noting that some bubble tea locations—though we don’t know from the FDA which—may have provided the creamer in drinks to unknowing customers.
FARE provides a list of common foods and ingredients to avoid if you or someone you know has a milk allergy. Though this particular allergy is still common, as many as 75% of children eventually outgrow the allergy.
Stay informed on safety alerts in food and other consumer products you buy with The Healthy by Reader’s Digest newsletter and follow The Healthy on Facebook and Instagram. Keep reading:
- More Than 63,000 Pounds of Oatmeal Recalled In 2 States for “Potential Foreign Material”
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- The Most Recent Macaroni and Cheese Recall Just Got Hit with the Country’s Highest Risk Level
- Ice Cream Has Been Recalled in One U.S. State
