Australians have recounted the harrowing moment they suffered adverse reactions to Cocobella yoghurt, following a product recall issued one week prior.
On Thursday August 21, 2025, the dairy-free brand recalled the 110g Cocobella coconut yoghurt pouches in banana, mango, and strawberry flavours.
But just one day later, the recall was extended to all Cocobella Coconut Yoghurt products.
In a statement on August 22, Cocobella said an undeclared milk allergen had been identified in some product lines.
However, some consumers reportedly suffered bad reactions before the recall, with the company confirming at least 10 people were hospitalised.
Melbourne mother Grace Kolo said her one-year-old son, allergic to dairy and egg, had a severe reaction after consuming Cocobella yoghurt daily, unaware it contained traces of dairy.
“In the beginning, for about 30 minutes, 40 minutes, he just kept sneezing, non-stop,” she told 7News.
Despite giving him Telfast, believing it was hay fever, her son’s symptoms worsened. He began crying, his existing skin rashes flared up, and he experienced difficulty swallowing, along with coughing, itchy eyes, and shortness of breath.
“It looked like his body was trying to reject what was in there, so I called the ambulance straight away,” Kolo said.
After calling an ambulance, Kolo said paramedics asked if her son had eaten anything that could have caused the reaction, she said no, believing the yoghurt was safe.
“Obviously I said, no, because the yoghurt is safe, right? It doesn’t have dairy in it,” she explained.
After the incident, friends alerted her to the recall, “I couldn’t believe it, I just couldn’t believe it,” she said.
“When they showed me, I thought, ‘This is why?’ Because we were scratching our heads… It was just insane because it was just out of nowhere.”
Kolo has also suggested the yoghurt may have contributed to previous flare-ups of her son’s skin condition.
A Victoria-based father, who used the nickname Nate, said his two-year-old son developed coughing and breathing difficulties after consuming a Cocobella banana yoghurt.
“It was honestly the most traumatic experience of my wife’s and my lives,” he said.
“He started snorting through his nose to try to get oxygen in. He had hives everywhere, his eyelids and lips were swollen, his whole body was red. At that point, my wife says that she honestly thought that we were about to lose him.”
The boy received a shot of adrenaline at hospital for his anaphylactic reaction.
“It was very clear because he had gone to sleep for his daytime nap, and then he woke up, he ate nothing, he drank nothing, except the Cocobella,” Nate said.
A third person, 40-year-old Melbourne man Billy Jacobs, who suffers from vitamin B6 toxicity and mainly consumes liquids and soft foods, said he had relied on Cocobella yoghurt for calories and nutrients, but it made him severely unwell.
“I was relying on that yoghurt to help me try to get calories in and nutrients, but instead it made me sicker,” he told 7News.
“(It caused) more stomach issues, pain, breathing problems, dizzy (and) heavy headaches… nose, throat, chest… I was already suffering, and this just made it 100 times worse. I didn’t know why.”
Jacobs said he realised the yoghurt was causing his symptoms after seeing the recall notice on Facebook.
“The only one that used to taste good was making me feel horrible,” he said.
Cocobella said investigations into the cause are ongoing. In a statement, the company said, “While the majority of product lines have tested negative to the allergen, we felt the wider recall was the best course of action to ensure public safety while we continue the investigation.”
Regarding reports of allergic reactions, the company confirmed it was aware of 10 hospital admissions suspected to be linked to Cocobella products consumed by people with milk allergies.
“We are in touch with all of those who have contacted us, and are thankful everyone affected is now home,” they said in a statement to the Daily Mail.
“We’re deeply sorry to anyone who has become ill, and are encouraging anyone else with concerns to contact us directly.”
Images: Instagram/7NEWS
