A popular brand of tinned sardines have been recalled in major supermarkets across the UK as they could be unsafe to eat.
Tinned fish giant John West is recalling its 95g boneless sardines in sunflower oil and 120g normal sardines in olive oil over health fears linked to a “microbiological contamination risk.”
Affected tins are sold in major supermarkets Morrisons, Waitrose, Tesco, Ocado, Amazon and Co-operative.
The company has not said what the exact risk is, but is recalling sardines with the batch codes 109, 110, 111, 112 and 113, best before December 2026.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) regulator said: “John West is recalling the above products. Point of sale notices will be displayed in all retail stores that are selling these products. These notices explain to customers why the products are being recalled and tell them what to do if they have bought the products. Please see the attached notice.
“If you have bought either of the above products do not eat them. Instead, return them to the store from where they were bought for a full refund.”
John West said: “We are undertaking extensive scientific testing to identify the cause of the potential contamination. We would like to stress that this recall is purely a precautionary measure.
“The safety of our products and the wellbeing of consumers is our highest priority. Therefore, whilst the potential risk to consumers is extremely low, we are recalling all cans from those batches as a precaution. None of John West’s other products are affected by this recall.
“We apologise to all our shoppers for any inconvenience or concern this causes.”
A major recall was issued by chocolate maker Kinder in April this year over fears its products were linked to an outbreak of salmonella. Some 63 people have become ill with the disease, with a huge number of cases being kids aged five or younger.
More cases were also recorded in Europe, including Ireland, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.
The recall came after investigations led by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Public Health Scotland, Public Health Wales and Public Health Agency Northern Ireland found a possible link between salmonella and Kinder Surprise chocolate.
The FSA said the eggs were all made at the same factory in Belgium.
