The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned a big bakery company, Bimbo Bakeries USA, about a problem with their food labels. Bimbo makes many popular brands like Sara Lee, Thomas’, and Entenmann’s.
The FDA found that Bimbo was putting labels on their products saying they contained allergens like sesame or tree nuts, even when these ingredients weren’t actually in the food. This is against FDA rules because food labels must be honest and clear.
This issue is really important for people with food allergies. About 33 million people in the U.S. have food allergies, and they depend on accurate labels to stay safe. Eating something they’re allergic to could be very dangerous for them.
The FDA inspected Bimbo’s factories in Arizona and Kansas last year and found these problems. They sent a warning letter to Bimbo’s headquarters in Pennsylvania, telling them to fix the issue.
Bimbo says they take allergies seriously and are working with the FDA to solve the problem. The company has until July 8 to explain how they’ll fix it or why they think their labels are okay.
This labeling issue became more complicated when a new law took effect in 2022. The law added sesame to the list of major allergens that must be listed on food labels. Some companies found it hard to keep sesame separate from other ingredients in their factories. So, they started adding small amounts of sesame to foods that didn’t have it before, just to avoid legal problems.
Other companies, like Bimbo, started putting “may contain” warnings on their labels as a precaution. The FDA says these “may contain” labels might be okay, but using them instead of actually keeping allergens separate in factories is not allowed.
This situation shows how tricky it can be to make sure food labels are accurate and helpful for people with allergies. It’s a balance between being cautious and not limiting food choices too much for people with allergies.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.