ASDA has issued an urgent recall of the crisps due to a “packaging defect” which could make some people seriously ill.
The main seller pulled that Extra Special Sea Salt & Chardonnay Wine Hand-cooked vinegar crisps from the shelves and advised allergy sufferers not to eat them as some packages contain cheese and onion crisps.
As a result, some salt and vinegar packets contain milk that is not listed on the label.
“This means the product is a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy or intolerance to milk or its ingredients,” the Food Standards Agency (FSA) said in a warning.
Cow’s milk allergy is one of the most common food allergies affecting infants and young children.
Most children outgrow the allergy by age five, but some people are allergic to milk well into adulthood.
“Where this happens, people are likely to experience more severe allergic reactions,” notes Allergy UK.
A milk allergy can cause mild symptoms, but consuming it can also trigger a severe reaction called anaphylaxis.
Asda recalled the crisps with sea salt vinegar and Chardonnay, pulled them from shelves and warned customers with milk allergies or intolerances not to eat the snack.
Affected batches have a best before date of September 21.
The seller asked people to bring the chips back to the store for a full refund, no receipt needed.
It follows Waitrose recalling the cupcakes over a similar packaging error where coffee and nut cakes were mixed into chocolate cupcake packets.
Sainsbury’s also pulled the fragile packets from its shelves last month over concerns they contained undeclared milk.
Asda was one of a number of major retailers to recall sandwiches and wraps containing lettuce in the wake of an E. coli outbreak across the UK that has left one dead and hundreds ill and hospitalised.
Milk allergy vs. intolerance
A cow’s milk allergy is an abnormal response of the body’s immune system that causes proteins in a food—in this case, the casein and whey proteins in cow’s milk—to be recognized as potentially harmful.
People with a milk allergy may experience an immediate reaction after consuming milk that occurs within minutes or up to two hours afterward.
But some people can also develop symptoms of an allergic reaction between two hours and three days after consuming milk – this is less common in adults, Allergy UK said.
Milk intolerance does not involve the immune system.
Instead, it is caused by an inability to digest a sugar in milk called lactose.
Reactions are usually delayed, appearing several hours and sometimes up to several days after ingestion of the problematic food.
Symptoms caused by these reactions are usually intestinal symptoms such as bloating, diarrhea, constipation and IBS.
Symptoms of an allergic reaction and anaphylaxis
SYMPTOMS of an allergy usually appear within minutes of coming into contact with the offending food or trigger, but can appear up to an hour later.
Most allergic reactions are mild, but they can also be moderate or severe.
Anaphylaxis is the most severe form of allergic reaction and can be life-threatening.
Mild to moderate symptoms include:
- Itching of the mouth, tongue and throat
- Swelling of the lips, around the eyes or face
- A red, raised, itchy rash (often called hives, hives, or hives)
- Vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea
- Runny nose and sneezing
Serious symptoms of anaphylaxis include:
- Swelling of the throat and tongue
- Difficulty breathing or very fast breathing
- Difficulty swallowing, tightness in the throat or a hoarse voice
- Wheezing, coughing or noisy breathing
- Feeling tired or confused
- Feeling faint, dizzy or faint
- Skin that is cold to the touch
- Blue, gray or pale skin, lips or tongue – if you have brown or black skin, this may be more visible on your palms or soles
Anaphylaxis and its symptoms should be considered a medical emergency.
If you think you or someone you are with is having an anaphylactic reaction, follow these steps:
- Use an epinephrine auto-injector (such as an EpiPen) if you have one. – instructions are on the side of the injector.
- Call 999 and say you think you are having an anaphylactic reaction.
- Lie down – you can raise your legs, and if you can’t 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 stinger if it is still in the skin.
- If your symptoms do not improve after 5 minutes, use a 2nd epinephrine autoinjector.
Never stand or walk even if you feel better.
Sources: Allergy UK, NHS