At least one person has had an allergic reaction after eating Stacy’s brand pita chips that contained undeclared milk. Federal law requires specific label language on foods that include ingredients that have been designated as known allergens.
Frito-Lay, a division of multi-national giant PepsiCo, initiated a recalled “after it was discovered that 228 bags of Stacy’s Simply Naked Pita Chips were inadvertently filled with another flavor of pita chips, potentially exposing consumers to undeclared milk” according to a company statement.
The snack chip company notified the Food and Drug Administration about the situation, which in turn posted the Frito-Lay recall notice. The notice says the company distributed the recalled chips nationwide.
“People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk run the risk of a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the product contained inside the recalled pita chips bags,” according to the company’s recall notice.
Frito-Lay reports the recalled chips are packaged in “7 1/3 oz.” bags and are labeled as Stacy’s Simply Naked Pita Chips. The implicated pita chips have a UPC number of 028400564632, which is printed on the bottom right side of the back of the bag.
Consumers can also identify the recalled pita chips by looking for the following label information:
“Use By” date of 23 APR 2019 on the front of the bag along the top right side; and
A nine-character manufacturing code of 65M127902 below the “Use By” date.
Consumers with the recalled chips can return them to a retailer for a refund or contact Frito-Lay consumer relations at 800-352-4477.
Federal law
The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA) applies to all foods whose labeling is regulated by FDA, both domestic and imported. The agency regulates the labeling of all foods and beverages, except for poultry, most meats, certain egg products, and most alcoholic beverages.
More than 160 foods can cause allergic reactions in people with food allergies, according to the FDA’s website.
However, the law identifies only the eight most common allergenic foods. These foods account for 90 percent of food allergic reactions. The eight foods also are the sources from which many other ingredients are derived, such as whey from milk.
The eight foods identified by the law as known allergens and therefore subject to special label requirements are:
- Milk;
- Eggs;
- Fish such as bass, flounder, cod, etc.;
- Crustacean shellfish such as crab, lobster, shrimp, etc.;
- Tree nuts such as almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc.;
- Peanuts;
- Wheat; and
- Soybeans.
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