Urgent ‘do not eat’ warning issued over ‘contaminated’ chicken nuggets – are you at risk?
AN urgent ‘do not eat’ warning has been issued over chicken nuggets, as undeclared ingredients could put some at risk of dangerous allergic reactions.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) issued an allergy alert for frozen chicken nuggets as the products were pulled from shelves.
“Farmfoods is recalling Qualiko Frozen Chicken Battered Premium Nuggets because they contain milk which is not mentioned on the label,” the FSA wrote.
“This means the product is a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy or intolerance to milk or milk constituents.”
The warning applies to all products with ‘best before’ dates up to and including December 2025, with an Article No 12123 or 12132 at the back of the pack.
The frozen foods and supermarket chain Farmfoods urged anyone with a milk allergy or lactose intolerance to “not consume the product”.
Instead, customers were advised to return the frozen chicken nuggets to the shop they bought them at for a full refund, no receipt required.
FSA said the chain had been advised to contact the relevant allergy support organisations so their members could be informed about the risk of consuming the affected batches of Qualiko frozen nuggets.
It follows over 50 sauces, meal deal sandwiches and pasta salads – including Dominos dips – being recalled over fears they contained traces of peanuts, which were not mentioned on the label.
Cow’s milk is one of the most common food allergies to affect babies and young children.
Most children will outgrow their allergy by the age of five, but some people continue being allergic to milk into adulthood.
Allergy UK notes that people whose milk allergies persist are “more likely to experience more severe allergic reactions”.
Milk allergies can cause mild symptoms, which can appear shortly after consuming something with milk or up to 72 hours afterwards.
An itchy mouth, swelling around the lips or face and a raised, itchy rash are common signs.
But people with a milk allergy may also suffer a severe reaction called anaphylaxis after consuming dairy.
Any sign of severe allergic reaction – including wheezing, difficulty breathing and dizziness – should be treated as a medical emergency, Allergy UK warns.
The signs of an allergic reaction and anaphylaxis
SYMPTOMS of an allergy usually occur within minutes of contact with with the offending food or trigger, but they can also come on up to one hour later.
Most allergic reactions are mild but they can also be moderate or severe.
Anaphylaxis is the most severe form of allergic reaction which can be life threatening.
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:
- Swelling of your throat and tongue
- Difficulty breathing or breathing very fast
- Difficulty swallowing, tightness in your throat or a hoarse voice
- Wheezing, coughing or noisy breathing
- Feeling tired or confused
- Feeling faint, dizzy or fainting
- Skin that feels cold to the touch
- Blue, grey or pale skin, lips or tongue – if you have brown or black skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet
Anaphylaxis and its symptoms should be treated as a medical emergency.
Follow these steps if you think you or someone you’re with is having an anaphylactic reaction:
- Use an adrenaline auto-injector (such as an EpiPen) if you have one – instructions are included on the side of the injector.
- Call 999 for an ambulance and say that you think you’re having an anaphylactic reaction.
- Lie down – you can raise your legs, and if you’re struggling to breathe, raise your shoulders or sit up slowly (if you’re pregnant, lie on your left side).
- If you have been stung by an insect, try to remove the sting if it’s still in the skin.
- If your symptoms have not improved after 5 minutes, use a 2nd adrenaline auto-injector.
Do not stand or walk at any time, even if you feel better.
Sources: Allergy UK, NHS
Milk allergy vs. intolerance
A cow’s milk allergy is an abnormal response by the body’s immune system that causes proteins in a food – casein and whey proteins in cow’s milk in this case – to be recognised as potentially harmful.
People with a milk allergy can get an immediate response when consuming milk, within minutes or up to two hours afterwards.
But some people may also develop allergic reaction symptoms between two hours and three days after having milk – although this is less common in adults, Allergy UK said.
A dairy intolerance doesn’t involve the immune system.
Instead, it’s caused by an inability to digest a sugar in milk called lactose.
Reactions are usually delayed, occurring several hours and sometimes up to several days after eating the offending food.
The symptoms caused by these reactions are usually gut symptoms, such as bloating, diarrhoea, constipation and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON FOOD ALLERGIES?
APPROXIMATELY 44 per cent of people in Britain have an allergy or allergic disorder of some kind, says the charity Allergy UK.
Rates are higher in under-35s and lowest in pensioners.
The most common food allergies, according to the NHS, are:
- Cow milk
- Eggs
- Peanuts
- Nuts, such as walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews, pistachios and Brazil nuts
- Soy beans, chickpeas and peas
- Shellfish
- Wheat
You may be allergic to a food if it makes you feel dizzy, lightheaded, sick or itchy, brings you out in hives or swollen lips or eyes, or causes diarrhoea, vomiting, a runny nose, cough, breathlessness or wheezing.