Valentine’s Day is just a week away, and is one of the most popular holidays for consuming chocolates. But according to two notices from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), buyers of select M&M products are at risk of adverse health consequences due to undeclared allergens. Here’s what you need to know.
What’s happened?
On January 26, Beacon Promotions Inc initiated a voluntary recall of some of its M&M products. Beacon Promotions, based in Minnesota, sells third-party products featuring its clients’ logos and branding.
Businesses use promotional product companies like Beacon to produce everything from tote bags to chocolate with their logos, which they then give out as freebies to employees or customers.
One of the products Beacon offers is packages of candies, including M&M’s. It is some of these M&M products that Beacon produced that the company is now recalling.
But according to two FDA enforcement reports, the M&M products aren’t being recalled because there is nothing abnormal about the candy itself. Instead, the promotional M&M products Beacon made that are included in the recalls did not have the required allergen warnings on the packages.
The lack of these warnings means that people who are vulnerable to allergens, including milk, soy, and peanuts, may mistakenly believe that M&M candies are safe for them to eat.
Class II recall may cause adverse health consequences
The FDA’s enforcement reports for both recalls state that each recall is classified as a Class II recall.
According to the agency, a Class II recall means the recalled product “may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.”
What M&M products are included in the recalls?
The two recalls cover more than 6,000 units of M&M products.
The first recall covers 541 units of the following:
- Repackaged M&Ms Peanut candies, Net Wt 1.3 oz.
- Item BB471BG.
- Lot M1823200
- Best By dates: 4/30/2026
- Labeled as Make Your Mark.
The second recall covers 5788 units of the following:
- Repackaged M&Ms candies, Net Wt 1.3 oz.
- Item BB458BG.
- Lot L450ARCLV03, Best By 12/1/2025 Lot L502FLHKP01, Best By 1/1/2026 Lot L523CMHKP01, Best By 6/30/2026 Lot L537GMHKP01, Best By 9/1/2026.
- Labeled with the following promotional company names. 1. Next Up, 2. Smith Pro, 3. Jaxport, Jacksonville Port Authority, 4. Climax Molybdenum, A Freeport-McMoRan Company, 5. University of Maryland, School of Public Policy, 6. Liberty University Environmental Health & Safety, 7. Subaru, 8. Trinity Cyb3r, 9. Candy Treats, 10. JSE, Jordan & Skala Engineers, 11. Dropbox DocSend, 12. PP, Prosperity Promotions, 13. Northwest Indian College Foundation, 14. FES Branding Solutions, 15. Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance Companies, 16. merry maids Annual 26 Conference, 17. BW, Best Western, 18. Morgan Stanley, 19. tufin, 20. Compliments of Pioneer, 21. A.D. Morgan, Construction Manager, Design Builder, General Contractor, 22. Adobe, 23. xfinity, 24. Fundermax Interiors, 25. White Cup, 26. Acadia Commercial, 27. Aviagen, 28. ORG Expo, 29. Make Your Mark.
Where were the recalled products distributed?
According to the FDA enforcement reports, the recalled M&M products were distributed in 20 states, including:
- Arizona
- California
- Florida
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Maryland
- Minnesota
- North Carolina
- New York
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
- Washington
- Wisconsin
What should I do if I have the recalled M&Ms?
The FDA enforcement notices do not give specific advice on what to do if you have the recalled M&M products.
As a best practice, a prudent course of action is to ensure the recalled M&M products do not fall into the hands of anyone who could be harmed by consuming the improperly labeled products.