Hartford Bakery Inc. Voluntarily Recalls Over 800 Loaves Of Bread
According to an official statement made by the FDA, on July 10th, Hartford Bakery Inc., a bread manufacturer out of Evansville, Illinois, announced they were voluntarily recalling six lots of their Lewis Bake Shop Artisan Style 1/2 Loaf products. The bakery ended up taking the loaves out of stores immediately after they believed the bread could contain "undeclared hazelnuts," putting those with nut allergies at risk.
The FDA noted that the affected loaves were shipped nationwide, specifically out to "Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas, Missouri, Alabama, and Mississippi retailers, including Kroger and Walmart."
Approximately 883 loaves are affected by the recall, as they contained visible hazelnut pieces, but did not specify that they had hazelnuts in them on the packaging. There was a "may contain tree nuts" disclaimer, but hazelnuts were not included in the list of ingredients.
"An investigation revealed an error in the change of packaging for a hazelnut-containing bread to the implicated white bread product," read the FDA statement.
What To Do If You've Purchased Recalled Bread
This is a very serious food recall, as anyone who consumed the affected loaves with a nut allergy could be put in grave danger. So far, there have been very few reports of customers being physically affected by the recalled loaves, with one who reported digestive discomfort and others who stated they could visibly see the nuts in the bread, which stopped them from eating it and putting themselves in danger.
If you live in one of the affected states and are worried that you may have purchased a recalled Lewis Bake Shop Artisan Style 1/2 Loaf, the FDA wrote that the lot codes on the front panel of the bread's packaging to look out for are, T10 174010206, T10 174010306, T10 174010406, T10 174020206, T10 174020306, and T10 174020406.
Other indicators include an expiration date of 07/13/2025, which can also be found on the front panel of the packaging. Anyone who may have purchased a contaminated bread loaf should take it to the place of purchase for a full refund, as advised by the FDA.
"People with a nut allergy or severe sensitivity to hazelnuts run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reactions if they consume these products," they wrote in their statement.
If someone in your house has a nut allergy, seek a refund or discard it to be safe.