December food recall roundup

The Food Standards Agency (FSS) issued alerts for the products due to a number of issues, including undeclared allergens, choking hazards and contamination.

Restaurant chain ASK Italian recalled Ask Italian Christmas Crackers because the chocolates in the cracker contained peanuts, soya, barley (gluten), eggs, wheat (gluten) and might contain almonds (nuts) and oats (gluten) not mentioned on the label. This was due to the wrong chocolates being packaged in the crackers.

The product poses a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy to any of the above ingredients.

Undeclared allergens ​

Undeclared allergens also sparked the recall of 42g packs of Nudie Snacks Salted Caramel Brownie Protein Balls by Buchanan Distribution Ltd. The product contained milk that was not listed on the label.

Yekta Foods recalled Achachi Jelly Cups because the products contained carrageenan, which is not permitted as an ingredient in jelly confectionery products as it presents a choking hazard.

Carrageenan can present a choking hazard due to the consistency, solubility, shape and size and manner of consumption of the food. The product can be projected from the cup or capsule in one piece by exerting pressure at the tip and therefore can cause choking.

Consumers may have individually purchased the jelly cups, which do not include a batch code or best before date.

Lidl recall​

Last month also saw discount retailer Lidl recall Red Hen Breaded Chicken Nuggets and Red Hen Southern Fried Chicken Pops because salmonella contamination had been found in some of the products in the batch.

The recall applied to 450g packs of the chicken nuggets with a best before end date of February 2022 and 210g packs of the chicken pops with a best before date of 5 February 2022.

Meanwhile, food and drink recalls could be set to ramp up in the third quarter (Q3) of 2020​​ as the world emerges from the coronavirus pandemic.