Recent cookie and cake recalls from Safeway, Jewel, 7-Eleven, Chick-fil-A, Cinnabon, Bakery Express and other retail outlets are linked to flour containing low levels of undeclared peanut and supplied to CSM Bakery Solutions in Tucker, GA.
The flour was used in products CSM distributed to its customers in packaging that did not reveal the presence of peanut, according to the company. Consuming peanuts can cause serious and possibly life-threatening reactions in those who are allergic or have a severe sensitivity to the legume.
Post-production testing by CSM revealed there were traces of peanut in the flour, said Dennis Murphy, the company’s vice president of communications.
“We were getting a hit we shouldn’t have been getting,” he said Monday. “Our first concern was that we were introducing anything. Our analysis showed that no, we were not.”
Murphy said CSM was not disclosing the name of the flour manufacturer, and an April 22 company recall announcement only noted that the presence of peanut was “a result of incidental contact.” He added that CSM has arranged for another flour source and is taking additional steps to deal with the situation.
“You want to make sure you get all the product back or verify that it’s been destroyed. Second is to secure another supplier of flour, which we’ve already done. Then third, to make things right with our customers,” Murphy said. “I would say that, for the most part, this is behind us, but you don’t want to say it’s finished until you know that it is.”
As of Monday there were at least eight related recalls posted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Those recalls were:
April 30: Saturday’s recall involves two products and three retail outlets. Safeway recalled 8-inch Single Layer Red Velvet Cake sold in Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico (Farmington and Aztec), South Dakota and Nebraska. ACME recalled 12-inch Decorated Chocolate Chip Cookies sold in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New York. Jewel stores in Iowa, Illinois and Indiana also recalled the 12-inch decorated cookies.
April 29: CSM recalled Cinnabon Stix sold in bakery cups, bags and boxes that may have been distributed to Cinnabon retail locations throughout the U.S. and internationally. The company announced that all Cinnabon bakeries would “discontinue the sale of Cinnabon Stix until CSM has confirmed that the potential source of peanut allergens has been contained and eliminated.”
April 29: Orlando-based Bakery Express of Central FL. Inc. recalled select two-packs of 7-ELEVEN FRESH TO GO cookies which were distributed to 7-Eleven convenience stores in Florida.
April 28: 7-Eleven Inc. of Irving, TX, recalled full baked chocolate chunk, sugar and oatmeal raisin cookies produced by CSM Bakery Solutions frozen cookie pucks (dough). The company noted that these fully baked cookies prepared from frozen pucks were distributed and sold prior to Friday, April 22, at 45 different 7-Eleven stores in Missouri, South Carolina and Texas.
The chocolate chunk, sugar and oatmeal raisin cookies are sold fresh in a self-serve bakery case or within a countertop self-serve, acrylic case. There is no UPC code or label attached to these cookies, 7-Eleven’s recall stated.
April 27: Bakery Express of Southern California recalled two-pack cookies in three different flavors sold under the 7-ELEVEN FRESH TO GO brand. These recalled products were distributed and sold throughout southern California, including Los Angeles, San Diego and Bakersfield local 7-Eleven stores.
April 26: Glenn Wayne Wholesale Bakery of Bohemia, NY, recalled three different varieties of two-packs of 7-ELEVEN FRESH TO GO brand cookies sold at 7-ELEVEN stores throughout New York state. These recalled cookies had best-by dates of April 22, 23 and 25, 2016.
April 25: Old Home Kitchens of Bogart, GA, recalled its branded 14-ounce Sliced Lemon Crème Cake, Sliced Vanilla Crème Cake and Sliced Strawberry Swirl Crème Cake “due to a potential presence of peanut allergen in a CSM Bakery Solutions supplied ingredient.”
The recalled cakes were distributed in “multiple retail stores” in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
April 22: CSM recalled a list of Chick-fil-A Chocolate Chunk Cookies with ship-by dates ranging from March 25, 2016, to April 15, 2016, and best-by dates of Sept. 13, 2016, to Oct. 8, 2016. These recalled cookies were distributed through Chick-fil-A restaurants.
