California woman alleges Daily Harvest meal made her so ill that doctors had to remove her gallbladder, lawsuit says

• Daily Harvest recalled one of its products after hundreds of people said it made them sick.
• A California woman is suing the company and said her gallbladder needed to be removed.

A California woman is suing the food kit company Daily Harvest after she says its "French Lentil and Leek Crumbles" gave her severe liver injuries and her gallbladder had to be removed, the suit says.

This lawsuit, filed in the Supreme Court of California for Orange County on Tuesday, is the latest in a number of suits launched against Daily Harvest in the last couple of months.

Daily Harvest began making headlines in June after influencers, who often partner with and promote the brand on social media, spoke out about how the "French Lentil and Leek Crumbles" product made them extremely sick. The company did a voluntary recall of the item in mid-June, and wrote on its website that they had received 470 reports of "illness or adverse reactions."

After investigating the product, the company said in mid-July it determined tara flour, a replacement for wheat flour popular in plant-based food circles, was the source of the illnesses.

"This was the first and only time we've used tara flour, which has been available and used in the North American market as a plant-based source of protein prior to our use," a Daily Harvest statement on July 19 read. "Our investigation team will continue working with the FDA, the tara flour producer and others to help determine what specifically made people sick."

As Insider previously reported, hundreds of people have spoken out about the food making them sick, with a variety of symptoms ranging from severe fever and chills to jaundice, which involves the whites of the eyes or skin turning yellow, and can be caused by liver disease. Other people, such as the plaintiff in this case, have alleged that they needed to have their gallbladders removed.

The plaintiff, Amanda Thomas, is suing Daily Harvest for negligence and design defect, among other allegations.

The suit says she purchased the lentil and crumble product toward the end of May, and nearly a month later needed to be hospitalized to get a cholecystectomy, which is the removal of the gallbladder. The suit says Thomas "continues to suffer injuries and damages" and asks for an unspecified amount of damage compensation to be determined in a trial.

The company did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on the lawsuit's allegations.

Daily Harvest was founded in 2015 by Rachel Drori, and has long advertised itself as a health-oriented source for sustainable fruits and vegetables.