Tesco issues urgent ‘do not eat’ warning for popular ready meal
TESCO has urgently recalled a popular ready meal over allergy fears.
Tesco plant chef sweet potato and chickpea tikka masala may contain milk, which isn’t mentioned on the label.
This means the vegan meal poses a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy or intolerance to milk – often known as being lactose intolerant.
Symptoms can include diarrhea, stomach cramps and pains, and nausea.
The alert comes from the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which has urged anyone who bought the meal who has an allergy to check the label of the product.
Affected batch details:
Best before: end of August 2024
Batch code: L232155
Anyone who has bought the meal and has an allergy or intolerance to milk or milk constituents, shouldn’t eat it, the FSA said.
They should instead return it to the store where it was bought for a full refund, no receipt is required.
A supermarket spokesperson added: “Tesco apologises for any inconvenience caused.”
People who cannot consume milk are either allergic to the proteins in cow’s milk or they cannot digest the sugar in the drink, known as lactose intolerance.
Around three in 100 babies have a cow’s milk allergy but most grow out of it by the time they start school, the NHS says.
When older children and adults suffer from an allergy it’s usually quite serious.
It can cause anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction that narrows the airways and can block breathing
Many products on supermarket shelves that are not dairy products still contain milk, such as cereals, bread, biscuits, crackers, sauces, and cakes.
The signs and symptoms of a milk allergy
SIGNS and symptoms usually occur within minutes of contact with cow’s milk, but can also occur up to one hour later
Mild to moderate symptoms include:
- Itchy mouth, tongue and throat
- Swelling of lips, around the eyes or face
- Red raised itchy rash (often called nettle rash, hives or urticaria)
- Vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhoea
- Runny nose and sneezing
Severe symptoms of anaphylaxis include:
Any one or more of the following symptoms are a sign of a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) and should be treated as a medical emergency. If available, adrenaline should be given without delay and an ambulance called with the call operator informed that it is anaphylaxis.
- Swelling of the tongue and/or throat
- Difficulty in swallowing or speaking or change in voice (hoarse voice)
- Wheeze (whistling noise) or persistent cough
- Difficult or noisy breathing
- Dizziness, collapse, loss of consciousness (due to a drop in blood pressure)
Source: Allergy UK