A Huntington grocer pulled some baked goods from its shelves after suspecting that they came from a national donut chain and not the “vegan and gluten free” donuts he had ordered.
John Stengel, co-owner of Cindysnacks, which specializes in vegan products, posted a photo of a donut that was decorated with sprinkles that he suspected came from Dunkin Donuts. The baked goods were delivered Feb. 23 by Savory Fig of Patchogue, which also specializes in vegan and gluten-free foods.
On Sunday, he wrote a lengthy post on Instagram, saying that he immediately “became concerned as to why this one donut was decorated differently than all the others and in such a strikingly similar way to a recognizable chain. I pulled all of the items delivered out of our racks immediately and stored them in the back out of precaution until I could confirm what was or wasn’t happening here.”
He said that he and his partner Indiana “Cindy” Kay were not satisfied with the answers they received and began investigating, comparing sprinkles and even testing the donut for gluten. “At the very least, this donut … contain[ed] substantial amounts of gluten,” he said.
On Tuesday, Stengel said that he spoke out because he wanted to keep customers with food allergies safe from harm. He said he had contacted the Division of Food Safety and Inspection at the state Agriculture Department, and notified the Suffolk County Department of Health.
He also said that Cindysnacks would not grant any interviews or issue any further statements.