You may have heard about hundreds of products being recalled from store shelves after traces of peanut were found in ground cumin spice. The recall started in December and has continued as more retailers identify products containing the cumin. Now, the Food and Drug Administration is warning all people with peanut allergies to avoid cumin and products that contain cumin.
While such large allergy-related recalls are rare, undeclared allergens like peanuts are the leading cause of food recalls in the United States. That can be very unsettling to people who are keeping a close watch on what they or their children eat, since food allergies can be a matter of life or death.
Recommended Videos
"You might do all of the things you are supposed to do and read the label, but there could still be undeclared allergens," says Dr. Michael Pistiner, a Boston-based pediatric allergist. "It's challenging to know that and still feel comfortable."
Pistiner says he sees the recalls as low-risk, since often the amount of the undeclared allergen is very small.
Undeclared danger
Since 2006, companies are required by law to list allergens like peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish on product packaging. The law is less clear when it comes to cross-contamination, companies aren't required to list on the label if peanuts or other allergens are processed in the same facility or on the same equipment.
It's harder to trace any cross-contamination incidents, which is what's happening in the cumin recall. The FDA says it has had at least eight reports from consumers related to the cumin recall. Hundreds of products have been recalled since December, from spice mixes to black beans to meats with marinades that include cumin.
The FDA declined to provide any further details on how it happened or what company added peanuts or peanut residue to its cumin spice. The FDA said packaged foods may not have enough of the affected cumin to trigger a reaction, but those who are sensitive should be careful just in case. Some products may not actually list cumin, but list "spices" instead.
The first recally was on Dec. 26, when Texas-based Adams Foods recalled several of its cumin spices. On Feb. 9, the retailer Whole Foods recalled more than 100 products that potentially contained the cumin. On Friday, Goya Foods recalled some brands of its black beans and black bean soup. Several other foods have been pulled off store shelves as well.
Spice company says it's not affected
At least one spice company notified customers that it isn't part of the recall. McCormick & Company Inc. says the company sources whole cumin seeds to ground its cumin and its products are not involved.