Oliva to Go Baba Ghanouj, Hummus Recalled: Undeclared Sesame

On October 9, 2026, Oliva LLC of Bethlehem, Connecticut announced a recall of about 250 units of Riad's Oliva to Go Baba Ghanouj, Spicy Baba Ghanouj, and Hummus because the products may contain undeclared sesame, and FDA posted the company's announcement the same day. The recall is small and regional, with distribution named only in the Litchfield County, CT and Great Barrington, MA areas. The affected products are 14 oz clear plastic containers with best-by dates from 10/10/26 through 10/18/26, depending on the product. The company reports no illnesses to date. People with a sesame allergy or severe sensitivity face a risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reactions, so shoppers should check packaging and return affected product to the place of purchase.

Key takeaways

• On October 9, 2026, Oliva LLC announced, and FDA posted, a recall of about 250 units of three Riad's Oliva to Go products that may contain undeclared sesame.
• The containers are 14 oz clear plastic squares with white and green labels, and best-by dates run from 10/10/26 through 10/18/26 depending on the product.
• An inspection found sesame missing from the ingredient declaration. The company says it has corrected its labeling and that no illnesses have been reported to date.
• Consumers who bought the products are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund or replacement.
• The FASTER Act, signed April 23, 2021, made sesame the 9th major food allergen recognized by the United States, and the labeling requirement took effect on January 1, 2023.

What happened

Oliva LLC announced that it is recalling approximately 250 units of Riad's Oliva to Go Baba Ghanouj, Spicy Baba Ghanouj, and Hummus. The company's stated reason is that the products may contain undeclared sesame. The FDA page for the announcement lists the company announcement date and the FDA publish date as October 9, 2026, and the product category as food and beverages, allergens.

According to the announcement, the recalled products were distributed to gourmet shops and farm markets in the Litchfield County, Connecticut and Great Barrington, Massachusetts areas. The company did not name the individual shops or markets. The announcement names only these two areas, so the recall is described as small and regional rather than nationwide, and the announcement does not say whether products reached any other location.

The announcement states that the recall was initiated after an inspection found that sesame was not declared on the product ingredient declaration. The company wrote that it has corrected its labeling since discovering the discrepancy. The announcement does not say which agency conducted the inspection, and it does not name the specific ingredient that contains sesame.

What changed

For the affected products, the change is a recall and a labeling correction. The company says its labels have been fixed since the discrepancy was found. The announcement does not describe any change to the recipes, suppliers, or production process, so those details should be treated as not disclosed.

The U.S. sesame labeling requirement is not new. The Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research (FASTER) Act was signed into law on April 23, 2021, declaring sesame the 9th major food allergen recognized by the United States. The labeling change took effect on January 1, 2023, as explained in FDA's consumer update on sesame labeling. FDA's Food Allergies page lists the major food allergens as milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame.

Who is affected

The recall covers three products under the Riad's Oliva to Go brand: Riad's Oliva to Go Baba Ghanouj, Riad's Oliva to Go Spicy Baba Ghanouj, and Riad's Oliva to Go Hummus. The product photo caption for each of the three products lists the size as 14 oz. The company's own listing reads "Spicy Baby Ghanouj" [sic], and the intended product is Spicy Baba Ghanouj.

The best-by date windows differ by product. Baba Ghanouj is listed with best-by dates from 10/10/26 through 10/14/26. Spicy Baba Ghanouj is listed with best-by dates from 10/10/26 through 10/14/26. Hummus is listed with best-by dates from 10/12/26 through 10/18/26. The packaging is described as clear plastic square containers with white and green labeling, and the best-by date is stamped on the side of the label.

The population most directly at risk is people with an allergy or severe sensitivity to sesame. The announcement says these individuals run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reactions if they consume the products. The company has not disclosed lot codes or UPC and barcode numbers. The announcement names only Litchfield County, CT and Great Barrington, MA, and it does not say whether any products were sold outside those areas.

What it means for shoppers

Because the announcement identifies products by brand, product name, size, and best-by date rather than by lot code or UPC, shoppers should compare all of these details on the container. A product that matches the brand, name, and size and carries a best-by date within a listed window is subject to the recall as described, and the store where it was bought should be checked. Products with dates outside those windows are not covered by the announcement, but reading their labels is still sensible.

The best-by windows mostly fall in the week of October 10 through October 18, 2026. Some product may already be past its date but still stored in a home refrigerator. The company urges consumers who purchased any of the three products to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund or replacement. Consumers with questions can call the company at 203-266-5558, from 8 AM to 4 PM Eastern, Monday through Friday.

The broader lesson concerns how labels work. Under FDA's sesame labeling rules, sesame must be identified on packaged foods, either in parentheses after the ingredient name, such as "spices (sesame)," or in a "Contains sesame" statement next to or immediately after the ingredient list. FDA also advises that a food's ingredients can change at any time, so it is a good idea to check the label each time you buy a product, even if you have eaten it before without a reaction.

For shoppers who want a practical checklist:

• Look for the word sesame in the ingredient list, including inside parentheses after another ingredient.
• Check for a "Contains" statement near the ingredient list.
• Compare the brand, product name, container size, and best-by date with the recall details.
• Read the label again on repeat purchases, since formulas and labels can change.
• For prepackaged items at a counter, ask staff to check the ingredient list if the label is unclear.

FDA's food allergen labeling rules generally apply to pre-packaged foods. According to FDA's Food Allergies page, the allergen labeling requirements do not cover most foods sold at retail or food service establishments that are not pre-packaged with a label. Shoppers buying from counters or prepared-food displays may need to ask directly, because a written label may not exist. For another example of an undeclared allergen recall, see Nature's Own Hawaiian Bread Recalled for Undeclared Milk.

The background

Food allergen labeling in the United States developed through a series of laws. The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act set the framework requiring labels to identify major food allergens. The FASTER Act later added sesame to that list, so undeclared sesame is now treated as a labeling failure under the same framework that covers milk, eggs, peanuts, and other allergens.

Undeclared allergens remain a recurring cause of food recalls. The Riad's Oliva to Go recall follows a familiar pattern: an inspection or review finds an allergen missing from the ingredient declaration, and the company issues a notice and corrects its label. Readers who want to compare other allergen-related recalls can read Lobster in Ravioli, Soy in Chips: When Allergen Labels Fail. A separate article on sesame disclosure in restaurants is FDA 2026 Food Code and Sesame: Allergen Disclosure Moves to Menus.

Sesame can appear in less obvious places than its name suggests. Labels may use an allergen source in parentheses or in a separate statement, and foods sold without pre-packaged labels may not carry the same information. Shoppers with sesame allergy should understand that required labeling rules are a starting point, not a guarantee that a product is free of cross-contact.

What to watch next

The announcement leaves several details open. The company did not disclose which ingredient contains sesame, whether any reactions were reported to FDA, or the FDA recall classification. It also did not name the inspecting agency. Shoppers who need these details should contact the company directly or monitor FDA's recall page for updates.

The near-term date to track is the final best-by date in the announcement, October 18, 2026, which applies to the hummus. Because the recalled products were sold through gourmet shops and farm markets, the most practical way to confirm recall status is to ask the store where the product was bought.

The evidence in this area has clear limits. The recall announcement describes a labeling error and reports no illnesses, but it cannot establish whether any individual will react to a given product. Reaction severity varies between people with a sesame allergy, which is why the announcement warns of serious or life-threatening reactions.