A £3-a-pot Italian pasta sauce sold in Waitrose was at the centre of a nationwide food scare today as it was feared to have contained shards of glass.
In Sunday’s alert, the UK-based Italian food brand Crosta & Mollica recalled jars of its Sugo Alla Norma Aubergine, Ricotta and Tomato pasta sauce from sale across Britain.
The Government’s watchdog, the Food Standards Agency (FSA), warned: ‘This product may contain pieces of glass which makes it unsafe to eat.
‘If you have bought the product do not eat it.
‘Instead, return it to the store from where it was bought for a full refund.’
The UK-based Italian food brand Crosta & Mollica recalled jars of its Sugo Alla Norma Aubergine, Ricotta and Tomato pasta sauce from sale across Britain. The product is sold for £3 in Waitrose
The potentially deadly batch has a code of Y008B and a best-before date of January 8th, 2027
How slivers of glass ended up in the sauce is not made clear, with the incident becoming the second ‘glass in food’ scare involving Waitrose in just three months.
Officials said the 340g sauce jar is sold in Waitrose stores in England, Scotland and Wales, and carries a price tag of £3.
Crosta & Mollica urged shoppers to ‘not consume’ the product and to instead package it up and return it.
The potentially deadly batch has a code of Y008B and a best-before date of January 8th, 2027.
The notice says shoppers can phone or email Crosta & Mollica if needed.
‘We apologise that it has been necessary to recall this product and for the inconvenience caused’ the company said.
The product description says ‘Italy’s exceptional ingredients are testament to the uncontrived perfection of the land, like the sun-ripened tomatoes, which we gently cook with crumbled ricotta salata and fried aubergine to make this Italian favourite.’
In March, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Ocado were caught up in a similar scare.
That alert said Patak’s Aubergine Pickle, produced by AB World Foods and selling for £2.60 a jar, might contain shards of glass.
The Food Standards Agency warned anyone eating the affected pickle could start spitting blood if they slice open their mouth and throat by not spotting the glass splinters.
The FSA said ‘AB World Foods is recalling Patak’s Aubergine Pickle because it may contain pieces of glass.
‘The possible presence of glass makes this product unsafe to eat.
‘The affected product has only been sold in Waitrose and Sainsbury’s.’
The pickle is also distributed by the online outlet Ocado.
The FSA said the affected Patak’s Aubergine Pickle is in 312g jars, with the batch code 3172 and a best before date of June 2026.
‘The company has issued a recall notice to its customers. These notices explain to customers why the product is being recalled and tell them what to do if they have bought the product.
‘Our advice to consumers – if you have bought the above product do not eat it.
‘Instead, return it to the store from where it was bought for a full refund.’
AB World Foods, based in Maidenhead, Berks, is part of Associated British Foods (ABF), a FTSE 100 company with sales of over £15.4 billion and 133,000 employees in 50 countries.
AB World Foods says it is an ‘international branded business, famous for flavour.’
‘With approximately 700 employees and £160million turnover, we work across eight geographical locations.
‘We are born of pioneers, of people who inspire us. People like L.G. Pathak, who arrived in the UK in 1957 with just £5 to his name and started a family company that became the reason the UK loves curry: Patak’s.
‘In the 1970s, G Costa, driven by the same entrepreneurial spirit, discovered there was nothing in the shops to help British people recreate the authentic taste of Asian food at home.
‘So an adventurous team headed out to the Far East, bringing back the most authentic, exciting flavours they could.
‘And with that, the Blue Dragon brand was born. Fast forward to 2007 and another inspiration appeared in the form of Levi Roots, the man who slayed the Dragon’s Den on BBC with just a bottle of his Reggae Reggae sauce and a guitar.’
MailOnline has contacted Waitrose for comment.