68 products recalled by watchdog

SIXTY-EIGHT products linked to potentially lethal allergies or food intolerances have been recalled this year after being improperly labelled.

They range from the CoYo yoghurt, drawn into the row over deaths linked to Pret A Manger, to a Mary Berry salad dressing, supermarket croissants, biscuits and cottage pies.

The figures suggest firms do not know what is in the food they are selling and, on some occasions, the presence of an allergen is only revealed because of illness or a death.

An analysis of recalls by the FSA reveals that CoYo, a coconut-based and supposedly dairyfree yoghurt, was withdrawn in February.

In fact, there have been many similar recalls this year. On Friday, it emerged the National Trust was recalling a range of biscuits because they were manufactured in a factory that also handles peanuts and/or tree nuts and there is no label to warn customers. Last month, Sainsbury’s recalled its in-store bakery All Butter Croissant due to undeclared almonds.

Quorn had to recall packs of Gluten Free Burgers and M&S had to withdraw its Gluten Free Scotch Eggs because both products contained undeclared gluten.

In May, Mary Berry’s Salad Dressing was recalled due to undeclared egg, and in April, Tesco recalled Hearty Food Company Cottage Pie and Hearty Food Company Sausage and Mash due to undeclared milk.

Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City, University of London, said: ‘The recent deaths ought to be a wake-up call. Labelling is not working and confidence is falling. This is not a good state of affairs.’

The Food & Drink Federation, which speaks for manufacturers, said: ‘If a pre-packed food or drink product contains any of the 14 food allergens it must be declared and emphasised within the ingredients list.

‘In the unlikely event that once a product has shipped, a business discovers that this labelling has not been done correctly, it is their responsibility to inform the Food Standards Agency and immediately recall the product.’

The British Retail Consortium, which speaks for the major chains, said: ‘Supermarkets are fully aware of how crucial allergen labelling is. That’s why in the small number of cases where an ingredient is not correctly labelled, retailers withdraw the product and notify the FSA.’