WASHINGTON: Federal food safety regulators said Tuesday they have warned a top U.S. bakery to stop using the ingredient. label They say their products contain potentially dangerous ingredients Allergies When they don’t do it.

US Food and Drug Administration inspectors found that Bimbo Bakeries USA – Including the following brands Sara LeeOrowett, Thomas’, Entenmann and Ball Park buns and rolls — listed ingredients such as sesame or tree nuts on the labels, even though they were not in the food.

under FDA RulesSuch products are “misbranded,” FDA officials said in a warning letter sent earlier this month to the company’s headquarters in Horsham, Pennsylvania.

“Food labels must be truthful and not misleading,” officials said. The warning follows inspections last year at Bimbo plants in Phoenix, Arizona, and Topeka, Kansas, which make Sara Lee and Brownberry bread.

Additionally, FDA officials indicated that allergen labeling is “no alternative” to preventing cross-contamination in factories.

Advocates for Food Allergy Research & Education, the nonprofit group FARE, said such labeling is “unhelpful” to the estimated 33 million people in the U.S. who suffer from allergies. food allergiesFARE chief executive Sung Poblete said consumers need to constantly be alert to foods that can cause potentially life-threatening allergies.

“Our community depends on accurate product labeling for their health and safety,” Poblete said in an email. “These findings about Bimbo Bakeries’ products undermine their trust and further limit their options.”

Mexico City-based food giant Bimbo describes its U.S. operations as the country’s largest commercial baking company. In an email, company officials said they “take their role in protecting consumers with allergen sensitivities very seriously” and that they are contacting the FDA to resolve the issue.

Label concerns at Bimbo and other companies arise after a law, which takes effect in 2022, adds sesame to a list of major allergens that must be listed on packaging.

Because it can be difficult and costly to keep sesame in one part of a baking plant separate from another, some companies have begun adding small amounts of sesame to products that previously did not contain the ingredient to avoid liability and costs. FDA officials said this violates the spirit of federal regulations, but not the letter.

Some companies, including Bimbo, began listing allergens such as sesame on the label as a “precaution” in case of cross-contamination.

FDA officials acknowledged Tuesday that statements that a product “may contain certain allergens” “can be considered truthful and not misleading.” Bimbo officials have until July 8 to identify steps they have taken to address the problem — or to explain why the labeling does not violate FDA standards.

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