Savannah Bee Company’s Honey BBQ Sauce-Mustard was bottled with a sweeter recipe that contains wheat and soy. Here is how to check your bottle and what to do if one is in your kitchen.
A barbecue sauce sold nationwide has been recalled because the bottles contained undeclared wheat and soy, two of the nine major food allergens. Savannah Bee Company pulled its Honey BBQ Sauce-Mustard after some bottles turned out to hold its sweeter recipe instead, which is made with both. The error got past the company’s own labeling and reached store shelves, where a shopper noticed it and reported it.
More than three months after the recall, the bottles can still be in kitchens. The affected sauce carries a best before date of May 16, 2027, so anything bought before the recall has not expired and may still be sitting in a pantry.
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What was recalled, and how to check your bottle
The recall covers one product: Savannah Bee Company Honey BBQ Sauce-Mustard in 16 fluid ounce clear glass bottles with an orange label. The lot number and best before date are etched into the neck of the bottle, so you may need to turn it to read them.
| Check for | Detail |
|---|---|
| Product | Honey BBQ Sauce-Mustard, 16 fl oz |
| Batch code | B1L1360525 |
| Best before | May 16, 2027 |
| UPC | 8 50033 93758 9 |
The sauce shipped nationwide to distribution centers, stores and direct customers between July 30, 2025 and February 26, 2026. Because none of it has reached its best before date, a bottle bought in that window can still be in the house.
There is also a quick visual check. Mustard barbecue sauce is normally a light golden yellow. The sweet sauce that ended up in the mislabeled bottles is dark brown, closer to molasses. A mustard label over a dark sauce is the sign to stop.
Who is most at risk, and what a reaction looks like
Wheat and soy are two of the nine major food allergens named under U.S. law, the group behind most serious allergic reactions to food. For anyone allergic to either, the mislabeled sauce is a real hazard, because nothing on the bottle warns that the allergens are inside.
Symptoms of a wheat or soy reaction, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), usually start within minutes to about two hours of eating. They can include:
- Itching or swelling of the mouth, throat or skin
- Hives or a rash
- A stuffy nose or trouble breathing
- Stomach cramps, nausea or vomiting
- Anaphylaxis in more severe cases, which can lower blood pressure and tighten the airway
Wheat allergy vs. celiac disease
The two often get confused, and the difference matters here. A wheat allergy is an immune reaction that can lead to anaphylaxis, the ACAAI says. Celiac disease is a separate, autoimmune condition that damages the small intestine and does not cause that kind of sudden reaction. People in both groups rely on an accurate ingredient list, which is what the mislabeling removed.
How a mustard label hid the allergens
The problem comes down to a mismatch between the label and what was behind it. The bottles carried a Honey BBQ Sauce-Mustard label, but inside was Honey BBQ Sauce-Sweet. The mustard recipe has no wheat or soy, so its label does not list either. The sweet recipe has both. Once the sweet sauce went into mustard-labeled bottles, the allergen warning that should have been printed was missing.
That falls hardest on the people the label is meant to protect. A shopper avoiding wheat and soy had reason to choose the mustard sauce over the sweet one, since the mustard label named neither. The switch turned that careful choice into the risky one.
According to the FDA notice, the company learned of the problem after a customer reported that the sweet sauce had been packaged under a mustard label. The company’s own review then confirmed that the mislabeled bottles left wheat and soy off the ingredient statement.
Why undeclared allergens lead to so many recalls
The FDA has said undeclared allergens are the leading cause of food recalls in the country, ahead of contamination by bacteria. Most cases come down to one of two failures:
- A labeling error, such as the wrong label on the Savannah Bee bottles
- Cross contact during production, where an allergen reaches a food that is not supposed to contain it
Barbecue sauce has been recalled for this reason before. In November 2025, a small Oregon maker, Anthony’s BBQ Sauce, recalled its barbecue and dip sauce after it was found to contain anchovy, a fish allergen, that the packaging did not declare.
The law is specific about what a label has to show. Packaged food must clearly name all nine major allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame, the last added at the start of 2023. When a label leaves one of them out, a recall usually follows.
What to do if you bought the recalled sauce
If a bottle in your kitchen matches the recall details:
- Do not eat it, especially if anyone in the household is allergic to wheat or soy.
- Throw it out, or take it back to the store for a refund.
- For a refund or questions, contact Savannah Bee Company at 800-955-5080, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST.
If someone has already eaten the sauce and shows signs of a severe reaction, such as trouble breathing or a swelling throat, the ACAAI says the only treatment for anaphylaxis is epinephrine, given at once and followed by emergency care. Food allergy groups such as FAACT advise anyone with a diagnosed food allergy to keep two auto-injectors on hand, because a reaction can return after the first dose.
Where the recall stands now
No illnesses have been linked to the sauce. The FDA posted the company’s notice on February 27, 2026, and on March 23 the agency rated the recall Class II, the middle of its three levels, used when a product is more likely to cause a brief or treatable reaction than a severe one. The affected bottles do not reach their best before date until May 2027, so for anyone allergic to wheat or soy, the one in the pantry is still worth checking.
The mislabeled bottles passed the company’s own checks and reached store shelves. A customer reading a label in the aisle is what set the recall in motion.
