Contaminated sandwiches, pastas and dips traced to India amid allergy fears

People with peanut allergies are being urged to avoid eating foods with mustard in them after a number of contaminated foods were traced to India.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has instructed those with allergies not to eat a number of foods including sandwiches, pasta and dipping sauces.

An urgent recall notice was issued last week after a number of FGS Ingredients Ltd.’s products contained mustard powder which may have been contaminated with peanuts.

The recalled items are said to be a risk for those with peanut allergies and are sold under a number of different brands across takeaways, shops and independent retailers.

An FSA statement said on Thursday: “We have traced the contaminated mustard ingredients to a producer in India called GT Agro Industries and have identified one company who has supplied these ingredients for use in UK food.

“There is no evidence other suppliers are affected so far.

“As we try to identify the individual products which may have been contaminated with these mustard ingredients and, because of the severity of some allergic reactions to peanuts, we are taking a precautionary approach so that people with a peanut allergy have up to date information about the potential risk and can take action to keep themselves safe.

“If mustard is present in a food, it should be labelled in bold on the packet because it is an allergen itself. If there is a risk that mustard could be unintentionally present in food there will be a ‘may contain’ label for mustard.

“If you are eating out, please ask the café or restaurant staff if any of their products contain mustard – by law, food businesses must provide this information to customers.”

Dominos Pizza’s popular garlic and herb and honey and mustard dips are among the products consumers with allergies should not eat.

A litany of SPAR sandwiches, wraps and pasta salads containing chicken, tuna and cheese among other items have also been recalled.

Tim Horton’s BBQ sauce dip may also contain traces of nuts, while garlic dips from ALDI are also affected.

FGS Ingredients has advised their customers to remove from sale products containing the contaminated mustard ingredients.

Food Standards Agency’s Director of Food Policy, Rebecca Sudworth, said: “Those with a peanut allergy should avoid consuming products containing mustard as an ingredient until we identify the individual products affected.

“Parents and carers of children who have a peanut allergy should take care to check the labels of food they buy and, if eating out, or getting a takeaway, ask the restaurant or café about foods that might contain mustard.

“As soon as we have more information, we will update consumers.

“As always, we urge people with an allergy to sign up to our allergy alerts, so you can be notified about future allergy recalls.”