Plastic contamination sparks Waitrose soup recall

The plastic contamination led a number of recalls made by food and drink firms in the past week, including co-op and New Covent Garden.

Waitrose’s recall affected 600g packs of its Hearty Minestrone Soup with a use-by date of January 29 2017. It is not known how the plastic made its way into the soup.

A statement from the retailer said: “There is a chance some pots may contain pieces of blue plastic. We are sorry for any inconvenience to customers and would ask them to return ​​any of this batch to their nearest shop for a refund.”

New Covent Garden was also forced to recall batches of soup last week, due to undeclared allergens.

Potential health risk

The producer recalled its skinny Goan spiced chicken soup, as it contained mustard which was not declared on the packaging. This made the soup a potential health risk to anyone with an allergy or intolerance to the ingredient.

The recall affected 600g and 700g pack sizes of the soup and all use-by dates up to February 19 2017.

Consumers were advised not to eat the product and return it to the store they bought it from for a full refund.

Undeclared allergens forced the recall of Co-op’s southern fried chicken wraps, making them a possible health risk.

Undeclared allergens

The wraps were recalled because they contained milk and fish, which were not declared on the packaging of the product.

The recall originally applied to wraps with a use-by date of January 29 2017, but was extended to include all use-by dates up to – and including – January 31 2017.

The Food Standards Agency advised consumers who had bought the product – and had an intolerance or allergy to milk or fish – not to eat it.

Consumers should instead return the product to the store they bought it from for a full refund.

Meanwhile, batteries in chocolate Santas and undeclared allergens sparked recalls, featured in this photogallery of product recalls over the past month.