UK confectionery recalls
confectionery food alerts in as many days for unwanted ingredients
Bassett's was forced to recall all of its milky babies confectionery range after small pieces of plastic were found in some packs.
The company said this potentially fatal slip was due to a problem with the manufacturing process, but that no other product lines will be affected.
With the product being aimed at young children, the company saw no option other than a total recall due to the potential choking hazard.
The recall follows hot on the heels of a problem at the UK's third biggest retailer, Sainsbury's, where undeclared milk proteins were found in its Basics plain chocolate.
A recall was again essential because of the risk to anyone allergic or intolerant to milk that had inadvertently bought the chocolate.
The problem serves as a warning to all food industry players only a month before the EU begins enforcing new allergen labelling rules. The new law states that consumers must be alerted to the presence of any recognised allergens on product labels.
However, grey areas still exist. The FSA also highlighted a similar allergen problem in other products sold by Sainsbury's, yet no recall has been issued.
The supermarket's plain chocolate has the presence of butterfat correctly listed in the ingredients panel but does not state 'Contains Milk' in the allergy advice panel.
"The presence of the butterfat makes this item unsafe for individuals who are allergic or intolerant to milk," said the FSA.
Sainsbury's will use point-of-sale notices to alert consumers to the problem and advise them on what action to take if they have bought one of the chocolate products.
