Those with a peanut allergy have been told to avoid eating food containing mustard over fears they have been contaminated.
Rebecca Sudworth, the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) director of food policy, said those with a peanut allergy should “avoid products with mustard until we identify the individual products affected”.
The FSA said possibly affected food items containing mustard ingredients – like sauces and prepackaged sandwiches – were linked to producer GT Agro in India.
A company identified as FGS Ingredients Ltd then supplied those ingredients for use in British food, the FSA added.
They said there is no evidence any other suppliers were affected, but noted the products are a possible health risk and could cause a severe reaction for those allergic.
FGS Ingredients has now advised customers to remove products containing contaminated mustard ingredients from sale.
According to the FSA’s website, some products that have been recalled because of undeclared peanuts include Domino’s garlic and herb dip and some SPAR sandwiches and condiments.
Ms Sudworth added: “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 cafe 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.”
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In a statement, the FSA added: “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 cafe or restaurant staff if any of their products contain mustard – by law, food businesses must provide this information to customers.”