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The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a stern warning to major US bakeries to stop using labels that claim their products contain dangerous allergens when in fact they do not.
FDA inspectors found that Bimbo Bakeries USA, which operates brands such as Thomas, Entenmann’s, Sara Lee, Oroweat and Ballpark Buns & Rolls, was labeling its products as containing sesame and tree nuts when they did not.
In a warning letter sent to the company’s headquarters in Horsham, Pennsylvania, FDA officials said such products were “misbranded.”
The warning comes after the FDA conducted inspections in October and November 2023 at Bimbo plants in Phoenix and Topeka, Kansas, which make Sara Lee and Brownberry breads.
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The FDA has warned Bimbo to stop labeling products as containing sesame when in fact they do not, such as Sara Lee’s products. (Scott Olson/Getty Images/Getty Images)
Authorities also told the company that allergy labelling is “not a substitute” for preventing cross-contamination within factories.
For example, the FDA told the company that Sara Lee brand Artesano Brioche, Delightful Multigrain, Artesano Golden Wheat, and Artesano Smooth Multigrain ready-to-eat bread products are misbranded because they are falsely labeled as containing sesame as a food ingredient and contain “contains” statements, when sesame is not an ingredient in the products.
“Food labels must be truthful and not misleading,” the official said.
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The FDA warned Bimbo that food labels “must tell the truth.” (Scott Olson/Getty Images/Getty Images)
“Bimbo Bakeries USA takes very seriously its role in protecting allergy-sensitive consumers through good manufacturing practices in our facilities and informational labeling on our packaging,” a company spokesperson told FOX Business. “We are in contact with the FDA to resolve this issue.”
Bimbo describes its U.S. operations as the largest commercial baking company in the country.
In 2022, a new law goes into effect that requires all foods manufactured and sold in the United States to be labeled if they contain sesame, which Congress has designated as the ninth leading allergen in the country.
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The FDA has given Bimbo 15 days, until July 8, to address the situation and report back on the steps it has taken to resolve the issue. Alternatively, Bimbo can defend itself to the FDA by proving that its labeling does not violate standards.
