Valentine’s Day Chocolates Voluntarily Recalled By Fannie May

A week after Valentine’s Day Fannie May is recalling 12,000 boxes of chocolates due to unidentified peanuts present in the batch.

The packaging does not reveal that one of the pieces of chocolate in the box contains peanuts, which can be deadly to people that suffer from allergies.

Fannie May announced the recall on Wednesday and immediately started pulling the four-ounces boxes of heart shaped chocolates from stores shelves. They contain eight pieces including one peanut/caramel candy.

The Valentine’s Day chocolates were sold since January 10 in up to 450 stores, including Walgreens, Hallmark Gift Shops, and Jewel Grocers, in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The affected boxes were not available for sale at Fannie May stores or the company’s website.

The box has a rose photo with the name Fannie May in silver lettering and measures 5 1/4 inches by 5 1/2 inches in size.

Fannie May Confections Brands Inc. is a privately owned company based in North Canton, Ohio and says it is aware of one person suffering from an allergic reaction after eating the Valentine’s Day treat.

The item is identified as SKU #77202 with the UPC number on the label of 0 52745 96000 2. Lot information on the Valentine’s day chocolate is 13344, 13345, 13361, 14010, and 14014.

In a statement posted on the Fannie May website, the company urges those who purchased or received the Valentine’s Day chocolates to dispose of them:

“Individuals who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to peanuts run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they come in contact with or consume this product.”

“Fannie May is working in cooperation with the FDA. Information on the product recall can be found on the home page of the Company’s website located at: www.fanniemay.com. Consumers with questions may contact a dedicated customer service representative at the Company by dialing 330-494-0833 Extension 193, Monday through Friday, 8:30 am – 5:30 pm EST or email customerservice@fanniemay.com.”

“Fannie May decided to recall the products after a customer contacted one of our telephone customer service representatives to report that the ingredient label on the box of chocolates did not state it contained peanuts,” the statement read.

According to Foodallergy.org, peanut allergies are one of the most common food allergies and can cause a severe, potentially fatal, reaction known as anaphylaxis.

Peanut allergies are believed to be on the rise, with some studies suggesting the numbers almost tripled since 1997.

Fannie May says the person who suffered from the allergic reaction after eating the Valentine’s Day candy, was treated and later released from the hospital.