Recall Just Announced For Popular Cookies Featured In Holiday Gift Baskets
Anyone who's purchased gift baskets to hand out to loved ones this holiday season might need to find a backup present after the latest food recall that involves festive cookies.
Gift basket company Wine Country Gift Baskets just announced that it is voluntarily recalling all gift baskets that feature Acorn Baking Company raspberry crème filled cookies. The reason? The baskets may contain a different cookie than advertised.
The company discovered that some packages actually contained hazelnut crème filled cookies even though they were labeled as the raspberry crème filled cookies. And because hazelnuts are tree nuts—one of the nine major food allergens—the packaging mishap can pose a serious risk to consumers with allergies or sensitivities.
While the company hasn't received any reports of injuries or illnesses in connection to the mislabeled cookies, it said it's "taking this action out of an abundance of caution in the interest of consumer protection." The recall applies to several types of holiday and non-holiday gift baskets that were shipped between Aug. 29 and Nov. 21 this year:
- Believe Cookie, Cake and Brownie Collection
- Gourmet Bakery Basket
- Bakery Bonanza
- Brownie, Cookie & Cake Assortment
- Brownie, Cookie & Cake Sleigh
- Cookie, Brownie and Cake Winter Assortment
- Bakery, Coffee & Cocoa Gift Collection
- Tis The Season Bakery Gift Box
- Fresh Baked Cookie, Brownie and Cake Collection
Among these basket varieties, only ones with certain lot codes are subject to the recall. The recall announcement specifies which lot codes for each basket are affected, so customers can check the notice to see which ones to look out for. The lot codes—all of which start with the letters "LC" and are followed by six numbers—are located on the bottom of the baskets.
The recall announcement also included photos of both the raspberry crème filled cookies and hazelnut crème filled cookies to help customers tell the two apart. Wine Country Gift Baskets urged anyone who currently has any raspberry crème filled cookies from the recalled lots to make sure that packaging contains the correct flavor. Anyone who finds hazelnut crème filled cookies inside the raspberry crème packaging and lives with someone with a tree nut allergy should discard them immediately.
Wine Country Gift Baskets also encouraged anyone who's given away these baskets as gifts to inform the recipient of the recall. Customers with any additional questions or concerns should contact supplier Houdini, Inc. at (866) 712-5910 or check out its website.
This gift basket recall rounds out a month packed with several food safety alerts. Just last week, more than 5,000 pounds of raw ground beef that may have been contaminated with a "foreign object" were recalled. The week before, a produce company recalled fresh cantaloupe that may have been contaminated with salmonella.
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