Two American food companies have issued urgent recalls for holiday cookies and cookie dough after discovering potentially life-threatening undeclared allergens in their products. The recalls involve peanuts in one case and a mix of tree nuts in another, posing a significant risk to millions of consumers with severe allergies.
Packaging Error Leads to Peanut Contamination
Gregory’s Foods, Inc. has recalled its Frozen Monster Cookie Dough after it was mistakenly packaged in bags labelled for White Chocolate Macadamia Nut dough. The critical issue is that the Monster Cookie product contains peanuts, while the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut recipe does not include this major allergen.
Consumers can identify the mislabelled product by looking through the clear window on the bag. The recalled Monster Cookie dough contains visible chocolate chips and coloured candy-coated pieces, whereas the correct White Chocolate Macadamia Nut dough does not feature these additions.
The company stated that the packaging error was isolated to specific units from a single day's production and has now been corrected. The affected bags, marked with a 'BEST BY' date of 6 December 2026, were distributed to retail grocery stores in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Nebraska. No illnesses have been reported in connection with this recall to date.
Baltimore Bakery Recalls Tins Over Missing Tree Nut Information
In a separate incident, Atwater’s of Baltimore, Maryland, has voluntarily recalled 197 cookie tins due to an undeclared tree nut allergen. The tins were sold and gifted in the Baltimore area between 13 and 22 December 2025.
The cookies inside contain almond, pecan, and walnut, but this vital information was missing from the product label. The company initiated the recall after discovering the error, attributing it to a temporary breakdown in its labelling process. Again, no illnesses have been reported.
The Severe Risk of Undeclared Allergens
These omissions present a serious danger. In the United States, approximately 6 million people have a peanut allergy, while about 3.9 million have a tree nut allergy, which includes almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews, and others.
For individuals with severe allergies, exposure can trigger anaphylaxis—a sudden, potentially fatal reaction where the immune system releases chemicals that cause airways to narrow, blood pressure to plummet, and the body to go into shock. An estimated 150 to 200 food allergy deaths occur in the US each year, with peanuts accounting for roughly 75 to 120 of these tragic fatalities.
The symptoms of a nut allergy can escalate rapidly:
- Skin reactions like hives, rash, and itching.
- Tingling or swelling of the lips, mouth, and throat.
- Gastrointestinal issues including cramps, nausea, and vomiting.
- Severe respiratory symptoms like shortness of breath and wheezing.
- Cardiovascular symptoms like a rapid pulse and dangerous drop in blood pressure, potentially leading to dizziness, loss of consciousness, and shock.
While an epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen) is the first-line, life-saving treatment, it is only a temporary measure. Emergency medical services must be called immediately after its use, as further hospital care is often required.
What Consumers Should Do
Both companies are urging customers to return the affected products for a full refund. Consumers who have purchased the recalled Gregory’s Foods cookie dough should return it to their place of purchase.
Those with the Atwater’s circular metal tins, identifiable by an 'Atwater’s cookie tin' label on the bottom, are advised to do the same. Undeclared allergens remain one of the most common reasons for food recalls, as a single error can have immediate and severe consequences for public health.
