The nationwide recall was initiated when it was discovered the candy containing almonds was distributed in packaging that didn't reveal the presence of the nuts, thereby posing a serious or life-threatening heath hazard for people allergic or sensitive to nuts.

The chocolate bars -- with red and white wrappers featuring a picture of chocolate pieces and the Swiss countryside on the front -- were sold at Whole Foods Market stores in Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.

The recalled candy bars have a lot code beginning with the characters L71423 followed by a four digit time stamp between the times of 11:33 and 12:15. The FDA said the product should also be returned if the coding on the package is illegible.

Consumers with questions can contact the Whole Foods Market company at 512-542-0656 or at privatedabel.customerdervice@wholefoods.com.