Unilever recalls Knorr Beef and Vegetable Lite soup

Consumers urged to return products

Of the 26,000 Knorr boxes produced by Unilever SA in March, 7,680 contain wrong sachets which have allergens such as wheat and gluten.

Knorr Masterbrand marketing manager Nicole Harris said all 26,000 boxes with the expiry date BB SEPT 2023, including good stock, have been recalled. Last week Unilever SA recalled boxes of its Knorr Cup-a-Soup Beef and Vegetable Lite due to containing sachets of Knorr Cup-a-Soup Beef and Vegetable Regular.

Harris said the sachets contained allergens such as wheat and gluten. “We received three consumer calls to date, one of which was a complaint and the other two queries. No consumers have contacted us saying that they have consumed the product and become unwell thereafter.

“We recently discovered that a small number of Knorr Cupa-Soup Beef & Vegetable Lite boxes mistakenly contain the Knorr Cup-a-Soup Beef & Vegetable Regular, which contains wheat and gluten. This kind of packing mistake falls far short of our own standards and we sincerely apologise. We have launched an immediate investigation to determine the root cause to prevent re-occurrence,” she said.

A total of 26,000 boxes were manufactured on March 23 with an expiry date of September 22 2023. Harris said 18,280 boxes had been returned already. Harris said the company had notified the relevant regulatory authorities in accordance with local regulations.

“We have initiated a nationwide trade uplift and issued a public recall. If anyone has any boxes of Knorr Cup-a-Soup Beef and Vegetable Lite marked with BB 22SEPT 23 2082 E, please do not use them but rather return the products to your nearest retailer for a refund. Consumers are urged to return the products and not to dispose of it themselves.”

National Consumer Commission (NCC) spokesperson Phetho Ntaba said the commission was monitoring the recall process. “We cannot tell for how long the process will take. It will depend on the response from customers and how many of them return the product,” said Ntaba.

On Saturday, the NCC urged consumers in possession of the soup boxes to discontinue use of the product and return it to the point of sale.