Milk supplier is at the center of Ritz, Goldfish recalls; Flowers Foods breads added to the list
- Flowers Foods is voluntarily recalling two of its bread products due to salmonella risk, days after Mondelez and Pepperidge Farm recalled several of their products over similar concerns.
- The recalls are all linked to a whey powder ingredient supplied by Associated Milk Producers.
- The FDA said in a statement Tuesday that there have been no cases of illness associated with the recalled products.
Flowers Foods is voluntarily recalling two of its bread products, the Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday, the latest foods to be recalled in recent days due to concerns about salmonella in an ingredient from the same supplier.
Swiss rolls — sold under the brand names Mrs. Freshley’s, Food Lion, H-E-B, Baker’s Treat, Market Square and Great Value — and Captain John Derst’s Old Fashioned Bread are the recalled Flowers products.
On Saturday, Mondelez issued a voluntary recall of some of its Ritz Cracker and Ritz Bits products. Pepperidge Farm, owned by Campbell Soup, recalled 3.3 million units of Goldfish Crackers on Monday.
All of the recalled products contain a whey powder ingredient from Associated Milk Producers that may have been contaminated with salmonella. The FDA said more recalls could be issued in the coming days once all manufacturers who use the whey ingredient in their products are identified.
Bill Marler, partner at food safety law firm Marler Clark, said in an email to CNBC, "In 25 years I have not heard of a whey recall. However, there have been recalls — and outbreaks — linked to powdered spices and flour."
The FDA statement emphasized that all the recalls have been "issued out of an abundance of caution" and not due to evidence of actual contamination.
"To date there have been no cases of illnesses associated with any of these recalled products," the statement said.