Health officials have issued an urgent warning to the millions of Britons with peanut allergies after several supermarket products were found to contain undisclosed traces of the nut.
The harmful substance was detected inside mustard powder used to flavour packaged sauces, salads and sandwiches, including SPAR pasta salads and Dominos’ sauces.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has traced the ingredients of the contaminated mustard back to a producer based in India and a company that supplied the items to the UK.
The agency says there is no evidence so far that other suppliers have been affected.
While health officials are trying to identify the full range of individual products affected, they are advising anyone with a peanut allergy to avoid any products containing mustard or mustard powder.
Health officials have issued an urgent warning about the presence of peanut residue in mustard powder
In a statement, the FSA said: ‘If mustard is present in a food, it must be labelled in bold on the pack because it is an allergen in itself.
‘If there is a risk that mustard may be unintentionally present in food, there will be a label that says ‘may contain’.
‘If you’re eating out, ask the staff at the cafe or restaurant if any of their products contain mustard – by law, food businesses must provide this information to customers.’
The UK company concerned, FGS Ingredients Ltd, has advised the stores it supplies to remove products containing the contaminated mustard ingredients.
A complete list of the contaminated products affected so far can be found at FSA websiteand include Harvester BBQ Sauce, Dominos Sauces (both Honey Mustard and Garlic & Herb flavours) and a range of SPAR supermarket products.
SPAR coleslaw, pasta salads, sandwich fillings and various ready-made wraps and sandwiches are also affected.
Peanut allergy is thought to affect about one in 50 children and about 200 adults.
While some allergic people only experience mild symptoms when exposed to peanuts, such as swollen lips and itchy skin, for others exposure can be fatal.
Around 10 Britons die each year from anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal allergic reaction in which the patient is unable to breathe.
Without access to an adrenaline injection, often in the form of an EpiPen, patients suffer cardiac arrest, which is almost always fatal.
There are 14 food allergens recognised as the most common causes of allergic reactions in the UK.
These include celery, gluten, crustaceans such as shrimp and crab, eggs, fish, lupine, milk, molluscs such as oysters and mussels, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soy, sulfur dioxide, sulfites and nuts such as almonds and Brazil nuts.