Nearly 490,000 Pounds of Ready-to-Eat Breakfast Sandwiches Recalled Across US Markets

Authorities have assigned it as a Class I recall, which is given to products that can cause serious, adverse health problems.

An image of the recalled Lettieri's Food To Go sandwiches from Hearthside Food Solutions. USDA

Utah-based Hearthside Food Solutions LLC is recalling nearly half a million pounds of food products from the market, citing concerns about allergy risks, according to the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

The recall applies to about 489,887 pounds of ready-to-eat sausage and bacon breakfast sandwich products due to misbranding and an undeclared allergen, FSIS said in an April 2 announcement. The product contains sesame, a known allergen, which was not declared on the product label.

Affected products are “Lettieri’s Food To Go Sausage, Egg & Cheese French Toast Breakfast Sandwich” and “Lettieri’s Food To Go Bacon, Egg & Cheese French Toast Breakfast Sandwich.” Both items have lot codes “beginning with the numbers 23, 24 and 25 up to 2508451.”

The items—manufactured between April 1, 2023, and March 25, 2025, with a shelf life of 12 months—were shipped to Army & Air Force Exchange Services (AAFES) locations across the United States.

FSIS has designated the product withdrawal as a “High-Class I” recall, the highest of three recall classifications in terms of severity.

This designation is issued when a withdrawn item poses a “health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”

The sesame contamination issue came to FSIS’s attention after the company notified the agency that the sandwiches used sesame flour, which was not specifically listed on the ingredients label.

According to the agency, there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions linked to the consumption of the recalled sandwiches.

The Epoch Times reached out to Hearthside Food for comment.

“FSIS is concerned that some products may be in consumers’ or AAFES freezers or refrigerators. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase,” the agency said.

Individuals with queries about the issue can contact Hearthside Food Solutions at 630-967-3600.

Sesame Allergy

After the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 was passed by Congress, eight items were identified as major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans.

In April 2021, the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research (FASTER) Act was signed into law, which identified sesame as a major food allergen in the country.

According to the advocacy group Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), sesame is the ninth most common food allergy among adults and children in the United States.

“When a person with an allergy to sesame is exposed to sesame, proteins in the sesame bind to specific IgE antibodies made by the person’s immune system. This triggers the person’s immune defenses, leading to reaction symptoms that can be mild or very severe,” the organization said in a report.

“Sensitivity to sesame varies from person to person, and reactions can be unpredictable. Symptoms of a sesame allergy reaction can range from mild, such as hives, to severe, such as anaphylaxis.”

Anaphylaxis is life-threatening and happens after a person is exposed to an allergen, with the reaction potentially occurring just seconds or minutes after exposure.

During anaphylaxis, the immune system releases several chemicals that push the body into a state of shock. The airways become narrow, creating difficulties in breathing.

The Food and Drug Administration warns that some food manufacturers have “changed their recipes since the FASTER Act went into effect.” As such, “there are now food products with small amounts of sesame that did not have it before,” it said.

“Remember to always check the ingredients list and the ‘Contains’ statement before purchasing or consuming products,” the agency said.