28-04-2025
Urgent recall for bread due to potential glass contamination
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An urgent recall has gone out for bread sold throughout the US that may have shards of glass. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued the recall after being alerted by Upper Crust Bakery that glass fragments had been found on the top of their bread and rolls.
The products were shipped to stores in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Overall, 818 cases of Upper Crust Bakery bread is suspected of containing glass pieces, including 699 cases of the company's 18-ounce Multigrain Sourdough packages.
Another 89 cases of four-ounce Ancient Grains Hoagie Rolls and 30 cases of 20-ounce Whole Grain Multigrain bread were also recalled. For the Ancient Grains Hoagie Rolls and the Multigrain Sourdough, customers should be looking for packages listed as being from Lot #90. For the Whole Grain Multigrain, the affected bread comes from Lot #92. (Stock image)
Shoppers should also look for the packaging code 'CP45' on Upper Crust's Ancient Grains Hoagie Rolls and 'CP12' on both the Multigrain Sourdough and Whole Grain Multigrain bread. The FDA noted that this incident has been elevated to a Class II recall in their announcement, meaning the product may cause temporary or medically reversible health problems, but is unlikely to lead to long-term serious injuries.
As for what consumers need to look out for on store shelves, the FDA revealed that these frozen products were all shipped out in corrugated paper cartons - typical for frozen baked goods to maintain the product's integrity in cold storage and prevent damage. According to the FDA, Maryland-based Upper Crust Bakery LP first notified the health agency on April 12.
The FDA officially categorized the alert as a Class II recall on Friday, warning that the imbedded glass could cause injuries to consumers. Only a Class I recall is more serious, which means a product may lead to serious health problems or death - but that does not appear to be the case here. The FDA issuing a bread recall involving glass is a rare event. In fact, there is only one other recorded recall for a problem like this in the last three years.
In 2022, Fetting's Frozen Foods LLC issued a recall on their Abby's Bakery Homestyle White Bread Dough over a potential glass contamination. In both incidents, there have been no reports of any injuries due to glass shards lodged in the bread. However, anyone who has purchased the Upper Crust bread or rolls will still need to watch carefully.
In the worst case scenarios, swallowing glass fragments can cause tears or perforations in the gastrointestinal lining. There is a risk of bacterial contamination leading to infections. For example, bacteria from the gut could enter the abdominal cavity, causing serious conditions like sepsis. A study published in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy noted that sharp objects like glass have up to a 15 percent higher chance of causing a puncture in the stomach or gut than a blunt object. While having the lot numbers is key, consumers who have these products should also inspect the bread for visible glass fragments, as small fragments may not be easily detectable.
