Food safety officials have launched an investigation after a baker was accused of reselling Dunkin' Donuts and trying to pass them off as vegan and gluten-free treats she made herself.
New York’s Division of Food Safety and Inspection say they are “conducting a full investigation” into the accusations by Cindysnacks, a vegan market in Long Island, US.
The accusations were posted to Instagram and made against The Savory Fig, a Long Island vegan bakery. Written by co-owner of Cindysnacks, John Stengell, the post read: “On February 23rd the owner of Savory Fig dropped off the baked goods we ordered from her, including her doughnuts. In the middle of the boxes was the doughnut pictured in the first slide."
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The picture showed a doughnut with pink icing covered in D-shaped sprinkles. John said he became worried when he noticed the sprinkles looked the same as the ones used by popular chain Dunkin' Donuts, Today reports.
John continued: “I raised my concerns respectfully, hoping a simple explanation with confirming evidence would clear this up. We (Cindy and I) were not given satisfactory answers nor evidence and in that moment knew deep down how bad this was."
Worried about what they were serving they ordered a home-gluten test and tested the suspect doughnut. The test allegedly came back as “high positive” for gluten.
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Local paper Greater Long Island spoke to a woman who said she was the mum of Savory Fig owner Michelle Siriani. The mother said the claims about her daughter's products were "totally untrue."
The post continued: “We can only assume, given this recognisable logo design, where these doughnuts really came from and what other ingredients they might contain."
John added that they have cut personal and business ties with Michelle. “We are mortified that we provided any of her products to our customers and our own family,” John wrote.
“Most importantly, we want to apologise from the depths of our soul to anyone who unknowingly consumed these products.” Since the accusations came to light, The Savory Fig shut down its Instagram page. Its Facebook page has been swamped with hundreds of negative comments.
A later update from Cindysnacks said that they have contacted New York’s Division of Food Safety and Inspection as well as the Suffolk County Department of Health.
“Ensuring the safety and proper labelling of our food supply is a critical function of the Department, which includes overseeing home processors in New York State,” New York’s Division of Food Safety and Inspection told TODAY.com in a statement. “The Department has received several complaints regarding this home processing business and is conducting a full investigation.”
It is considered a serious illness where the body's immune system attacks its own tissues when you eat gluten, causing damage to the lining of the gut. This means the body can’t properly absorb nutrients from food, warns Coeliac UK.