Hotel Chocolat withdraws products on allergen fears
The presence of unlabelled milk meant the products presented a potential health risk to anyone with an allergy or intolerance to milk or its constituents.
Delivering safe food and drink products will be the subject of the Food Manufacture Group’s one-day conference – Safer food and drink: from the harvest to the home – which will take place at The Lowry, Manchester on Tuesday, September 29 2015. See box below for details.
One-day conference
Hotel Chocolat products affected by the withdrawal included:
- Hotel Chocolat Milk Free Milk Bunny Lick
- Hotel Chocolat Milk Free Milk Puddles
- Hotel Chocolat Milk Free Milk City Bunnies
- Hotel Chocolat Milk Free Milk Goose Egg
- Hotel Chocolat Milk Free Milk Scrambled Egg
The withdrawal affects all pack sizes. Anyone who bought one of the products and has an allergy or intolerance to milk or its constituents was advised not eat it but return it to the retailer or contact help@hotelchocolat.com.
Food and drink products can either be withdrawn – removed from the shelves, or recalled – when customers are asked to return the product.
Damaging withdrawals
Meanwhile, the latest advice helping manufacturers to avoid potentially damaging withdrawals and recalls, plus a wealth of other safety information will be on offer at our one-day conference at The Lowry, Manchester on Tuesday, September 29 2015.
The conference 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.
Book your place at the conference at the early bird rate of £319 + Vat until June 30. After that date the rate will be £399 + VAT.
Food Safety Conference Safer food and drink from the harvest to the home
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 shelflife
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 shelflife.
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.
