A concerning warning has been issued to individuals in the UK with peanut allergies: avoid all mustard products. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has discovered potential contamination of mustard supplies with traces of peanuts, which could trigger severe reactions in those with the allergy. This includes all mustard-containing items, such as sandwiches, pre-packaged sandwiches, wraps, dips, sauces, and salads.
The FSA is actively investigating the source of the contamination, tracing it back to a producer in India called GT Agro Industries. One UK company, FGS Ingredients Ltd, has been identified as having supplied these contaminated mustard ingredients for use in their products. As a precautionary measure, FGS Ingredients Ltd has advised its customers to remove all affected products from sale.
While there is no evidence suggesting other suppliers are impacted at this time, the FSA is urging caution. “If mustard is present in a food, it should be labelled in bold on the packet because it is an allergen itself,” the FSA advised. “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.”
Rebecca Sudworth, the FSA’s director of food policy, emphasized the importance of vigilance: “Those with a peanut allergy should avoid consuming products containing mustard as an ingredient until we identify the individual products affected. “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.”
