A number of popular items have been pulled from Irish shop shelves in recent weeks amid food safety fears.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has issued a number of recalls for certain batches of products including meat and sweets.
Households are being encouraged to check their cupboards, fridges and freezers for the affected items.
READ MORE: Frozen fish urgently recalled due to unauthorised veterinary medicine found in batch
Any shops that stocked the impacted products will have point of sale notices posted in their store and will provide shoppers with refunds for returning any of the affected batches.
The FSAI explains: “Food alerts are notifications issued by the FSAI to official agencies and food businesses or other businesses relating to an identified hazard i.e. a biological, chemical or physical agent in, or condition of, food/food contact materials with the potential to cause an adverse health effect.”
Below are all of the current recall notices in effect:
Frozen Jona Red Tilapia Fish
A batch of frozen Jona Red Tilapia Fish, which is sourced from Vietnam and sold in Ireland, is being recalled due to the presence of unauthorised substances - malachite green and leucomalachite green.
An FSAI spokesperson explained: "Malachite green is an unauthorised veterinary medicine which is not permitted in foods in the EU. This substance can be broken down to form leucomalachite green. Malachite green was previously used in some countries to treat parasites and fungal and bacterial infections. Although in breach of the Reference Point for Action, the fish in question does not pose an acute risk to health, but there may be an increased risk if there is continued consumption over a long period."
The affected batch has the 'lot number' VN/472/IV/169 and best before date of 17/09/2023.
Point-of-sale recall notices will be displayed in stores supplied with the implicated batch and customers are advised not to eat it.
Fray Bentos Just Chicken Pie
A batch of Fray Bentos Just Chicken Pie has been pulled from shop shelves amid fears it could contain plastic.
People are advised to check their cupboards to see if they have an impacted batch and if so, return it to the shop where it was bought.
The chicken pie is sold in a number of supermarkets across Ireland including Tesco, SuperValu and Dunnes Stores.
The FSAI said: “Baxters Food Group Ltd. is recalling the above batch of Fray Bentos Just Chicken Pie due to the possible presence of small pieces of plastic.
“Point-of-sale recall notices will be displayed in stores supplied with the implicated batch.”
The affected product is 425g and has batch code L079T, with time code between 06:00 - 08:22, and a best before date of 09/2023.
Mars Bounty Ice Cream Bars
A batch of Mars Bounty Ice Cream Bars has been recalled due to the presence of the unauthorised pesticide ethylene oxide.
An FSAI spokesperson explained: “Ethylene oxide is a pesticide that is not permitted for use in foods sold in the EU but is approved for use by other countries outside the EU.
“Although the consumption of the contaminated product does not pose an acute risk to health, there is an increased risk if there is continued consumption of ethylene oxide in contaminated food over a long period of time. Therefore, exposure to ethylene oxide needs to be minimised.
“Point-of-sale recall notices will be displayed in stores supplied with the implicated batch.”
The affected bars are 51.6g, have the batch code 037C3DOE02 and a best before date of 31/08/22.
Tesco Free From Digestive Biscuits
Tesco is recalling a batch of Tesco Free From Digestive Biscuits due to the possible presence of small metal pieces.
The affected packs are 160g and have a best before end date of March 2023.
Kinder sweets
A major recall has been issued for several Kinder products due to the possible presence of salmonella.
The FSAI has issued three separate recall notices in recent weeks.
The recall affects ALL batches and ALL best before dates of:
- Kinder Schokobons, all pack sizes
- Kinder Surprise 20g and 20g x 3
- Kinder Mini Eggs 75g
- Kinder Mini Egg Hunt Kit 150g
- Kinder Surprise 100g
An FSAI spokesperson said: “People infected with Salmonella typically develop symptoms between 12 and 36 hours after infection, but this can range between six and 72 hours.
“The most common symptom is diarrhoea, which can sometimes be bloody. Other symptoms may include fever, headache and abdominal cramps. The illness usually lasts four to seven days.
“Diarrhoea can occasionally be severe enough to require hospital admission. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have more severe illness.”
Lidl Culinea Paella
Lidl Ireland is recalling a batch of its frozen Culinea Paella, because the cooking instructions are not labelled in English.
The implicated product is a 750g pack with a batch code L1354-2 and best before date of 20/06/2023.
Nongshim Shin Kimchi Instant Noodle Soup
A specific batch of Nongshim Shin Kimchi instant noodle soup is being recalled due to the presence of the unauthorised pesticide ethylene oxide.
An FSAI spokesperson said: “This pesticide is not authorised for use in foods sold in the EU. Although the consumption of the contaminated product does not pose an acute risk to health, there may be health issues if there is continued consumption of ethylene oxide over a long period of time. Therefore, exposure to this substance needs to be minimised.”
The affected pack is 120g with the batch code TE21 and best before date of 19/05/2022.
Dunnes Stores Semi Dried Cherry Tomatoes
A batch of Dunnes Stores Semi Dried Cherry Tomatoes is being recalled due to the presence of the pesticide chlorpyrifos-methyl, which is no longer approved for food use in the EU.
An FSAI spokesperson said: “Although the consumption of the implicated batches of Dunnes Stores Semi Dried Cherry Tomatoes is unlikely to pose an immediate risk to health, continuous consumption of chlorpyrifos-methyl over a long period of time may pose a potential risk to health. Therefore, exposure to this substance needs to be minimised.”
The implicated products are 120g and have use by dates of 21/04/2022, 06/05/2022 and 20/05/2022.
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