Aldi’s ‘Let’s Party Vegetable Bao Buns’ were recalled by the supplier because they contain sesame and duck meat, but this is not mentioned on the label.
As a result, the product poses a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy to sesame.
The recall relates to all date codes on sale, with the bao buns sold in packs of eight.
To alert consumers Aldi has informed the relevant allergy support organisations, which will tell their members about the recall, while it has also issued point-of-sale notices in stores.
Customers that have bought the product and have an allergy to sesame should return it to an Aldi store for a full refund.
“We apologise that this product did not meet our normal high standards and thank you for your cooperation,” Aldi said on the point-of-sale notice.
FSA chair speaks
Product recall information is disseminated by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which recently confirmed that Professor Susan Jebb would stay on as chair until the end of 2027.
Speaking on 13 November at City University’s Food Thinkers seminar, Jebb said that the way the organisation regulates the food system must evolve in order to meet emerging challenges.
“There’s clearly a lot of work to be done and some difficult decisions to be made to achieve the efficient, proportionate and trusted regulatory system we all want,” she said.
“I’m very clear that people need to be at the heart of this – people as consumers, people as employees, and people as citizens, making decisions about the society we live in.”
Jebb added that in order to act on the behalf of citizens, the FSA need to set rules, adjudge whether they are being followed and then take “take strong enforcement action” when rules are broken.
“They need to set the guardrails that protect the public from unscrupulous operators, while also supporting the well-intentioned actors to do the right thing,” she continued.
“We need to ensure the regulatory framework supports businesses by upholding standards, without adding unnecessary barriers to innovation or unjustified extra costs to consumers.”
