Thousands of jars of pesto have been removed from supermarket shelves across the country over fears they contain traces of unlisted peanuts.
One shopper suffered an allergic reaction to the undeclared peanut product - a nut which should not be typically found in pesto and should always be listed due to the severity of sufferer's reactions - which in worst cases can cause death.
The affected products confirmed by the Food Standards Agency include some of Aldi and Waitrose's own pesto products, as well as Sacla branded products which are sold in the likes of Sainsbury's and Tesco - with more than 25 variations potentially affected.
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Italian sauce company Sacla also produces the Waitrose and Aldi own products in its factories, but it has confirmed all retailers selling Sacla products have been affected - so make sure you check your cupboards if you're a sufferer.
Sacla said in its statement: "The health, safety and welfare of our customers is our number one priority. We took immediate action to recall every batch of every Sacla pesto recipe when we were made aware that some cashew nuts, which had been delivered by an external supplier, might contain traces of peanuts.
"Cashew nuts are an integral part of our pesto recipe, and so we therefore contacted all retailers, to ask them to immediately withdraw our pesto products from the shelves.
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"Anyone who suffers from a peanut allergy should not consume any of these products, and should instead return them to the store where they made the purchase, or contact Sacla' directly.
"We have launched an in-depth investigation into this incident and we are working very closely with the Food Standards Agency. We are extremely sorry that this has happened and we are doing everything we can to resolve the situation as quickly as possible."
They are advising anyone who suffers with a peanut allergy not to consume the products.
The Food Standards Agency has echoed this message and has listed every affected product on its website here, which includes:
- ALDI Cucina Basil Pesto, ALDI Cucina Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto,
- Sacla Nduja Pesto, Sacla Reduced Fat Basil Pesto, Sacla Reduced Fat Tomato Pesto, Sacla Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto, Sacla Truffle Pesto 90g, Sacla Vegan Truffle Pesto, Sacla Black Olive Pesto, Sacla Chargrilled Aubergine Pesto, Sacla Classic Basil Pesto, Sacla Gift Pack Pesto Trio
- Waitrose Basil Pesto, Waitrose Cavolo Nero Pesto, Waitrose Chilli Pesto, Waitrose Essential Basil Pesto, Waitrose Essential Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto, Waitrose Rocket Pesto and Waitrose Tomato Pesto.
Waitrose echoed Sacla in its apologies also issuing a statement: "Customers with a peanut allergy are advised not to consume any of these products of any date code and to return them to their local Waitrose for a full refund."It added it was "very sorry for the inconvenience".
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And a spokesperson for Aldi added: "Our supplier is recalling these two products because they may contain traces of peanuts which are not declared on the label.
"Customers with a peanut allergy should not consume these products and can return them to store for a full refund."
Peanut allergy symptoms range from mild to very severe, but the signs to look for are a tingling mouth, hives, rashes, swelling of the face, mouth or throat and difficulty swallowing, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, sneezing and itchy eyes, according to the NHS.
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In worst cases it can cause you to collapse or leave you unable to breathe, so if you recognise the signs early you can seek medical advice.
Featured Image Credit: SaclaTopics: Aldi, News, Food And Drink, food news, sainsbury's