Recalled this week: cheese, chicken and chocolate
Discount retailer Lidl UK recalled its Deluxe Mature Cheddar with Pickled Onions and Chives on Wednesday April 14. The recall was prompted by the presence of undeclared sulphites, which posed a possible health risk for anyone with a sensitivity to sulphur dioxide and/or sulphites.
The recall affects 100g pack sizes with the ‘use by’ date of June 8 2015.
No other Lidl UK products are known to be affected by the recall.
On the same day Co-operative Loved by Us Tandoori Chicken Slices were recalled because the product contains milk, which was not mentioned on the label.
Not mentioned on the label
The omission made the chicken slices a possible health risk for anyone who has an allergy or intolerance to milk and its constituents.
The third product recall concerned Mars UK’s Galaxy Cookie Crumble chocolate bars that contain a small piece of white plastic. The recall affected products sold in the pack size of 130g, with ‘use by’ dates from April 14 to April 20 2015.
Mars UK said in a statement: “Mars takes quality and food safety seriously and we apologise for any inconvenience caused to our consumers.”
On Friday (April 17) Amko Foods recalled all packs of its Pork Dripping with Jelly, after failing to carry out proper shelf-life analysis. The ‘best before’ dates on the product may not be correct, it said.
In addition, the products were not labelled with the appropriate storage instructions to show that it should be chilled.
Food safety conference
Recalled this week
• Galaxy Cookie Crumble chocolate bars
• The Co-operative Loved by us Tandoori Chicken slices
• Lidl recalled Deluxe Mature Cheddar with Pickled Onions and Chives
Meanwhile, avoiding costly product recalls is one of the aims behind the Food Manufacture Group’s latest one-day food safety conference at The Lowry, Manchester on Tuesday, September 29 2015.
The conference – ‘Safer food and drink: from the harvest to the plate’ – will comprise four sessions: minimising contamination in raw materials and ingredients; managing safety hazards and risks in processing, distribution and sale; delivering products that are safe throughout their shelf-life; and reassuring consumers about the safety of what they eat.
Read more about the conference – chaired by Colin Dennis, president elect of the US Institute of Food Technologists – below.
Early bird tickets are available at the rate of £319 + VAT until June 30. After that date the rate will be £399 +VAT.
Food safety conference
Tuesday, September 29 2015
The Lowry, Manchester
09:00 Welcome and opening remarks by chairman
Session 1: Minimising contamination in raw materials and ingredients
This session will examine the threats to the food supply chain following the 2013 horsemeat contamination scandal and earlier incidents involving the contamination of ingredients: from Sudan 1 in chilli to melamine in milk; from emerging bacterial pathogens to chemical contamination. It will also report on progress with the Food Standard Agency’s Food Crime Unit, formed in the wake of Professor Chris Elliott’s report into ‘horsegate’, and outline what is being done to address criminal activity in the sector.
11:00 Coffee
11:30 Session 2: Managing safety hazards and risks in processing, distribution and sale
Session 2 will look at the need to create better food safety cultures in the workplace to minimise foodborne hazards.
While people often know what they should be doing to ensure good food hygiene on the shopfloor, they don't always put this into practice and can cut corners. Presentations will explain how to instil the right behaviours. Others will describe what effective cleaning and sanitation looks like in today’s food manufacturing workplace and will cover the hygienic design of equipment and processes.
12:30 Panel debate (involving all speakers from morning sessions)
13:00 Lunch
14:00 Session 3: Delivering products that are safe throughout their shelf-life
Campylobacter infection from poultry is the largest cause of food poisoning incidents in the UK. With up to 70% of all fresh chicken on sale contaminated with campylobacter, this session will provide an update on various industry measures being taken to reduce levels of contamination: from better biosecurity on farms to new processing and packaging techniques. Other presentations during the session will focus on new systems for accurately measuring and extending food shelflife, together with risk assessment approaches for determining safety throughout shelf-life.
15:00 Coffee
15:20 Session 4: Reassuring consumers about the safety of what they eat
The final session of the day will take a consumer perspective of food safety, with presentations describing how the general public view the food industry. It will cover what more needs to be done to reassure people about the safety of the food they buy and eat. It will also describe moves to provide clearer labelling of information for consumers and what is being done about the growing incidence of people with food allergies and intolerances.
16:30 Conference closes
Book your place here.
