Lasagne lovers may be in for a nasty surprise.
Iceland has issued a recall for its 400g packs of vegetable lasagne due to a concern that they could contain bits of plastic.
The products have best-before dates ranging between July 23 and July 30, 2026.
The Food Standards Agency issued a statement saying: "We are taking the precautionary measure of recalling the date codes of the above product because it may contain hard pieces of plastic, making it unsafe to eat. Only the best-before-date codes listed in this notice are affected.”
The announcement follows Waitrose’s recall of seafood sticks after it was identified that some products had a date code error.
Could the lasagne be harmful?
Plastics in food can release harmful chemicals which are linked to a range of health problems, including cancer and heart disease. Depending on the size of the piece of plastic, it can also cause choking.
Consuming high levels of microplastics can cause cell damage, leading to inflammation and allergic reactions, according to researchers at the University of Hull.
While ingesting plastic is dangerous, research indicates that it’s more common than you might think. A 2019 report commissioned by the World Wide Fund for Nature found that the average person consumes a credit card's worth of plastic in a week.
Most of this microplastic comes from water (bottled and tap) but other sources include inhalation, shellfish, beer, and salt.
What should customers do if they’ve bought a lasagne?
Iceland customers have been urged to “check if you have bought any of the affected product”.
If shoppers have bought the frozen lasagne, they are are advised to not consume the product. They should return it to Iceland and can receive a full refund, without a receipt.
“You can do this by taking a photo of this notice or writing down the details at home,” the notice said.
