Para Bien Al Grano bread loaves sold in Puerto Rico are recalled for undeclared sesame

Seven production lots of Para Bien Al Grano bread, a 24-ounce package made by Pan Pepin Inc. of Bayamón, Puerto Rico, are being pulled from sale because the product contains sesame that the label does not declare. The company announced the allergy alert on Oct. 13, and the federal agency that regulates packaged food posted it the next day.

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For most shoppers the recall changes nothing. For anyone with a sesame allergy, it matters a great deal, because a loaf that looks like ordinary sliced bread can trigger a serious reaction when its label gives no warning. The recalled bread was distributed throughout Puerto Rico, and no other part of the United States appears in the notice.

The seven lots and how to spot them

All seven lots carry the same bar code, UPC 0 21425 01513 4, so the lot number and expiration date printed on the package are what separate affected loaves from unaffected ones. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s posting of the Pan Pepin notice, the recalled lots are 3B1 274 (expiring 10-12-26), 3B1 277 (10-14-26), 3B1 278 (10-15-26), 3B1 280 (10-17-26), 3B1 281 (10-18-26), 3B1 282 (10-19-26) and 3B1 284 (10-21-26).

Because the notice went out on Oct. 13, the earliest of those dates had already arrived, and by Friday, Oct. 16, the first three have passed. Loaves from those lots can still be sitting in a kitchen, and the notice makes no distinction for expired product. The company’s instruction applies to every package that matches a listed lot, whatever date is stamped on it.

What Pan Pepin says to do

Pan Pepin says consumers with a sesame allergy or severe sensitivity should not eat the bread, and the FDA notice warns that such people may have a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction. Anyone holding a recalled package is told to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. If a return is not possible, the instruction is to dispose of the bread. Questions go to the company at 787-403-7363, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and the FDA also runs a general information line at 1-888-463-6332.

The company also described how it is responding. Pan Pepin said consumer safety and transparency are its top priorities, and added that it is removing the affected products from the market while strengthening its labeling and allergen verification procedures. The notice does not explain how the sesame came to be in the bread without a declaration, and it does not say whether the company has received any reports of illness or injury. Those gaps are common in early recall notices, and the posting is the only public detail available so far.

The FDA adds its usual caveat that it publishes company announcements as a public service and does not endorse the product or the firm. The announcement also appears on the agency’s running list of recalls, market withdrawals and safety alerts, where the entries are drawn from press releases and public notices, and where the agency states that not every recall has a press release.

Why sesame labeling carries legal weight

Sesame has been a labeled allergen in the United States only since the start of 2023. The FDA explains on its FASTER Act page that sesame became the ninth major food allergen, joining milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soybeans. As of Jan. 1, 2023, packaged foods and dietary supplements that contain sesame, including those made with a sesame-derived ingredient, must say so in the ingredient list, in a “Contains” statement beside it, or in parentheses after the sesame-based ingredient.

That rule is why an unlisted sesame ingredient in a bread product becomes a recall rather than a labeling quibble. Before the change, sesame often hid behind vague phrases. Reporting by KTVU, citing the advocacy group Food Allergy Research and Education, noted that the seed can appear under terms such as “natural flavors” or “natural spices,” and that more than 1.5 million people are allergic to it. The same group describes the allergy as having risen significantly worldwide over two decades.

What a sesame reaction can look like

Registry data from Canada give a sense of how serious sesame reactions can be in children. A study in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology examined 3,279 cases of food-induced anaphylaxis in children registered between 2011 and 2021 and found that sesame caused 130 of them, or 4.0 percent. Hummus made with sesame paste triggered 58.8 percent of those reactions, and the authors called for education on prompt use of epinephrine along with stronger labeling policies.

The study involved Canadian children and a different product category, so it says nothing about this recall specifically. It does show why a missing sesame declaration on a staple like bread is treated as a safety problem: the reactions in that registry were severe enough to require emergency care, and fewer than half of the children received epinephrine before reaching an emergency department.

For families in Puerto Rico, the practical step is a quick check of the lot number and expiration date on any Para Bien Al Grano package at home. A loaf from one of the seven lots should go back to the store or into the trash, and anyone who has already eaten it and is feeling unwell should seek medical care rather than wait for the company to answer questions.

This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.