Food price wars blamed for recalls over choking risks

Manufacturers say demand to cut costs is responsible for a 200pc rise in foreign objects found in products

CHOKING hazards in shop-bought food and drinks pose an increasing threat to consumers, official data show, as manufacturers blame a rise in recalls on supermarket price wars.

Analysis of Food Standards Agency (FSA) recalls over the past six years found instances of choking hazards making their way into food or beverages have risen by almost 200 per cent.

Product recalls, made by the FSA and manufacturers when edible items pose a significant safety risk to consumers, are becoming more common.

From 2012 through to the end of 2014 the FSA issued a total of 109 recalls, with the number rising by 78 per cent to 194 between the start of 2015 and the end of this year.

Dairy products were the most likely to be pulled from shelves, followed by prepared dishes and confectionery.

Foreign bodies in food and drink, such as metal, glass and wood, were the most prevalent cause of product recalls, representing nearly one in four (22 per cent) recalls. Salmonella and listeria, two other leading causes of product recalls, represented 14 per cent and 10 per cent of cases respectively.

A total of 49 products were recalled due to choking hazards between 2015 and 2017, up from 17 between 2012 and 2014.

In 2016 Mars recalled “funsize” bags of Celebrations and Milky Way chocolate bars due to the possible presence of plastic pieces.

In the same year Weetabix recalled packs of Oatibix Flakes, warning that the breakfast cereal could contain pieces of blue soft rubber.

And this year Asda recalled its Little Angels Organic Beef & Sweet Potato Stew baby food after a small piece of plastic was found inside a jar.

Responding to a survey by Lockton, the insurance broker, on the reason for the rise in recalls, food manufacturers said consumers were partly to blame for expecting low prices.

Cost-cutting as a result of “downward pricing pressures” from retailers and consumers had increased the risk of foreign bodies getting in food and drinks, they said.

Ian Harrison, head of product recall at Lockton, said: “The correlation we’re seeing between increasing pricing pressures within the UK food and beverage sector and the instances of product recalls is one the industry cannot afford to overlook.

“Manufacturers have to cut more corners and look for cheaper ways to produce their products. An unintended victim of this is oversight and quality control, leading to foreign bodies finding their way into food and beverages on our shelves. The industry has to be better aware of this correlation and ultimately aware that cheaper food means riskier and lower quality products on the shelves.”

A spokesman at the FSA said: “The reasons behind the increase are numerous and cannot be attributed to one single issue.

“Some of the changes may be due to improved reporting by local authorities and key stakeholders, as well as the introduction of new EU regulations on allergen ingredients labelling.

“The FSA will continue to work thoroughly to ensure that all food and drink on the market is safe.”

194 The number of product recalls between the start of 2015 and the end of 2017, a rise of 78 per cent on the period 2012-14