Woolies announces recall of chicken viennas

WOOLWORTHS has announced a recall of its smoked chicken viennas with immediate effect on Friday.

The retailer said it was recalling its smoked chicken viennas, cocktail chicken viennas and halaal smoked chicken viennas with the sell-by date May 27, 2023.

The company said this was due to cross-contamination of milk protein between chicken viennas and chicken and cheese viennas.

“We, along with our suppliers, proactively manage and prevent contamination of food, and through routine quality control tests we discovered a fault in a production line, which resulted in cross-contamination of milk protein between Chicken Viennas and Chicken & Cheese Viennas.

“While the cheese may not be obvious through taste or visible in the product, we are removing all the products from our shelves. Customers who have an allergy to cow’s milk may experience an adverse reaction to even trace amounts of milk protein. The Chicken Viennas do not have allergy warning labelling,” Woolworths said in a statement.

Woolworths said the Chicken Viennas with the sell-by date May 27, 2023 were produced in four variants and sold in South Africa and Botswana.

Customers who have purchased the product, are advised to go to their local store for a full refund.

“Woolworths prides itself on exceptionally high standards, and we go to great lengths, with very strict protocols within a rigorous food safety management process, to ensure all food we produce, package and sell is the quality our customers expect.

“Food safety is critically important to us, and the well-being of our customers is our first priority,” Woolworths added.