Tortilla Recall as FDA Sets Risk Level

A previously unclassified food recall involving bags of El Mirasol’s tortillas was assessed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as Class II, meaning that the consumption of the affected products could cause some kind of health consequence.

El Mirasol, Inc, a company headquartered in Plant City, Florida, and one of the largest tortilla manufacturers in the Sunshine State, initiated a voluntary recall of dozens of bags of its Tortilla de Harina product in late April after suspecting they may contain an undeclared allergen—wheat.

Some 50 cases containing 20 packages of 10 tortillas were affected by the voluntary recall. Each package comes in a clear plastic bag containing 400 grams of tortillas. The lot affected are 012324120800, with an expiration date of February 23, 2024; and 021924120800, with an expiration date of March 19, 2024.

The products were only distributed within Florida.

While El Mirasol started recalling the product on April 29, the FDA only classified the recall on June 17. The federal agency classifies its food and soft drinks recalls according to the health hazard linked to the consumption of these products.

A Class III recall indicates a relatively low-risk product which is unlikely to cause an adverse health consequence if consumed. A Class II recall is given when “use of, or exposure to, a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.”

And a Class I is the most severe type of food and soft drinks recall: it’s granted when the consumption or exposure to a product can cause “serious adverse health consequences or death.”

Newsweek contacted El Mirasol, Inc for comment by email early on Tuesday.

Wheat can cause adverse health reactions to individuals who suffer from a wheat allergy, as well as those with celiac disease. A wheat allergy is a fairly common type of food allergy where the individual’s immune system overreacts to the consumption of wheat with symptoms like hives, rash, nausea, stomach cramps and diarrhea. In the most severe cases, it can cause anaphylaxis.

Celiacs have an adverse immune reaction to the consumption of gluten, which is contained in wheat, barley or rye. After consuming such products, the immune system’s of people with celiac disease produces a response which, over time, can damage the stomach lining and prevent it from absorbing nutrients.

Common symptoms of intestinal damage are diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, bloating, nausea, constipation and anemia. There’s no way of being cured from celiac disease, but it’s a manageable disease when following a gluten-free diet.

Corn tortillas are naturally gluten-free products, but flour tortillas, crucially, are not.