A sugar recall covering nearly 1.7 million pounds of brown and powdered sugar is underway after the products were found to possibly contain wheat kernels, a risk for anyone with a wheat allergy.
United Sugar Producers and Refiners, based in Minnesota, started the recall in August. The FDA posted it on September 21 and classified it as Class II, meaning exposure could cause temporary or medically reversible health problems, with a remote chance of serious harm. Wheat is one of the nine major food allergens the FDA tracks, and a reaction in someone allergic to it can be serious. People with celiac disease, who have to avoid gluten, should also steer clear.
The recall includes about 1.27 million pounds of light brown sugar and 426,500 pounds of powdered sugar. The FDA record lists those amounts in hundredweight, a bulk unit equal to 100 pounds.
Five products are part of the sugar recall. Two are sold in regular 2 pound bags under Good & Gather, Target’s store brand: Good & Gather Light Brown Sugar and Good & Gather Powdered Sugar. The rest are bulk bags mostly used by bakeries and food businesses: United Light Brown Sugar in 50 pound bags, United 6X Powdered Sugar in 50 pound bags, and Crystal Sugar Powdered Sugar in 25 pound bags. The FDA record does not name which stores or businesses received the products.
The recalled sugar went to Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas.
Not every bag is affected, so the batch code is what matters. For the light brown sugar, the recalled codes run from MHD26223 through MHD26229. For Good & Gather Powdered Sugar, the codes are also MHD26223 through MHD26229. United 6X Powdered Sugar carries codes MHD26223 through MHD26227, or MHD26229. Crystal Sugar Powdered Sugar is listed under MHD26230.
The recall reaches beyond the grocery aisle. United Sugar Producers and Refiners says it supplies about a quarter of all sugar used in the United States, selling to both stores and food manufacturers.
Anyone in those eight states with a wheat allergy should check the brand and the batch code on any brown or powdered sugar in the pantry before using it.
