Recalls

Allergen threat and manufacturing errors spark recalls

By Gwen Ridler

- Last updated on GMT

Undeclared allergens, pieces of plastic and raw product sparked recalls this past month
Undeclared allergens, pieces of plastic and raw product sparked recalls this past month

Related tags recalls Ambient Allergen

Undeclared allergens including milk, soya and gluten continue to spark recalls of food and drink, as manufacturers pull products from the shelf in response to potential choking hazards and labelling errors.

This past month has seen the Food Standards Agency report seven instances of food being recalled as a result of undeclared allergens.

Undeclared milk was the cause of the most allergen-based recall alerts (4), with discount supermarket Lidl, Premier Foods, Booker Group and Grape Tree removing products from sale as a result. This was followed by two recalls alerts caused by undeclared gluten from Tesco and Warp Snacks, and two instances of undeclared soya from Yaadgaar and Fito Nature Boutique.

A full breakdown of all the recalls can be found in the table below.

Foreign contaminants

Allergens weren’t the only cause of food recalls over the past month ­– manufacturing errors have also forced some products to be removed from sale.

Ramona’s has recalled Ramona’s Heavenly Original Houmous because it may contain pieces of plastic, presenting a potential choking hazard and therefore unsafe to eat.

The manufacturer said the contamination was only found in one batch of the product – 500g with the use-by date of 28 July 2023 – and urged customers who may have bought the affected houmous to return it to the store they bought it from for a full refund.

A labelling error led to the recall of Ossa’s Organic Chicken Bone, Beef Bone and Vegetable broths when it was discovered the products had been shipped out with the incorrect use-by date on the packaging.

Incorrect labels

The three products – all 500g pack size – carried a use-by date of 5 November 2023, which was past the actual date for which the products would still be safe to eat. The recall applied to Chicken Bone broth with the batch code 2204, Beef Broth with the batch code 2203 and Vegetable broth with the batch code 2114.

Finally, Waitrose is recalling Waitrose Extra Large King Prawns, (Ready to Eat) because they contain raw, uncooked prawns.

The recalled included all 220g packs of the prawns with the use-by date of 14 June 2024. Like with all of the above products, consumers were advised to not eat the affected prawns and instead return them to the store they were purchased from to receive a full refund.

Meanwhile, with food recalls making headlines more often than not, Alison Friel, director of food consulting and training at NSF, takes a look at how you can safeguard against this growing threat.

Product

Reason for recall

Company

Batch code(s)

Pack Size

Best-before/Use-by date

Waitrose Extra Large King Prawns

Uncooked prawns in product

Waitrose

N/A

220g

Use-by 14 June 2023

Grape Tree Toffee Popcorn

Undeclared milk

Grape Tree

All

200g

Best-before dates up to and including end of December 2023

Jack’s Guacamole

Undeclared milk

Booker Group

N/A

125g

Best-before 24 June 2023

Aldi The Foodie Market Lentil Bites Salted

Undeclared gluten

Warp Snacks

All

113g

Best-before: All date codes

Eat Real Lentil Chips Salted

Undeclared gluten

Warp Snacks

3142

22g

Best-before 16 May 2024

Lidl UK Snaktastic Lentil Bites Sea Salt

Undeclared gluten

Warp Snacks

3139, 3140, 3145, 3146

113g

Best-before 13,14,19 and 20 February 2024 (relative to each batch code, left to right)

Eat Real Lentil Chips Salted

Undeclared gluten

Warp Snacks

3152

40g

Best-before 26 May 2024

Eat Real Lentil Chips Salted

Undeclared gluten

Warp Snacks

3142, 3139

113g

Best-before 28 February 2024, 16 May 2024 (relative to each batch code, left to right)

Eat Real Lentil Chips Chilli & Lemon

Undeclared gluten

Warp Snacks

3142

22g

Best-before 16 May 2024

Eat Real Lentil Chips Creamy Dill

Undeclared gluten

Warp Snacks

3141, 3142

113g

Best-before 15 May 2024, 16 May 2024 (BC 3141) 15 May 2024 (BC 3142)

Eat Real Lentil Chips Creamy Dill

Undeclared gluten

Warp Snacks

3140, 3141, 3142

40g

Best-before 14 May 2024 (BC 3140), 15/16 May 2024 (BC 3141), 16 May 2024 (BC 3142)

Eat Real Lentil Chips Tomato and Basil

Undeclared gluten

Warp Snacks

3142, 3151

40g

Best-before 16/17 May 2024 (BC 3142), 25 May 2024 (BC 3151)

Eat Real Chips Multipack 5 Variety Pack

Undeclared gluten

Warp Snacks

3146, 3153

5x22g

Best-before 20 May 2024 (BC 3146), 27 May 2024 (BC 3153)

Eat Real Chips Variety 15 Pack Multibox (includes Lentil Salted 40g)

Undeclared gluten

Warp Snacks

3144, 3145, 3152

5x30g, 5x40g, 5x45g

Best-before 19 May 2024 (BCs 3144 and 3145), 26.26 May 2024 (BC 3152)

Sharwood’s Balti Cooking Sauce

Undeclared milk

Pemier Foods

N/A

420g

Best-before 31 January 2025

Snaktastic Chilli Heatwave Tortilla Chips

Undeclared milk

Lidl GB

T4B 3142

200g

Best-before 22 October 2023

Ramona’s Heavenly Original Houmous

May contain small pieces of plastic

Ramona's

N/A

500g

Use-by 28 July 2023

Fito Vegan Collagen capsules

Undeclared soya

Fito Nature Boutique

110323

40 Capsules

Use-by 10 March 2028

Ossa Organic Chicken Bone broth

Wrong use-by date on label

Ossa

2204

500g

Use-by 5 November 2023

Ossa Organic Beef broth

Wrong use-by date on label

Ossa

2203

500g

Use-by 5 November 2024

Ossa Organic Vegetable broth

Wrong use-by date on label

Ossa

2114

500g

Use-by 5 November 2025

Tesco Free From Onion Rings

Undeclared gluten

Tesco

N/A

150g

Best-before 16 December 2023

Tesco Free From Cheese Flavour Balls

Undeclared gluten

Tesco

N/A

150g

Best-before 16 December 2024

Tesco Free From Bacon Rashers

Undeclared gluten

Tesco

N/A

150g

Best-before 16 December 2025

Yaadgaar Celebration Cakes

Undeclared Soya

Yaadgaar

N/A

9 and 10 inch

All best-before dates up to and including 24 July 2023

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