The Collective's wild blueberry yogurt was the only branded product affected by the recall.
Five of the UK’s major supermarkets have been told to withdraw thousands of own-label yogurts, after it was found that they could contain small pieces of rubber.
The recall concerns products stocked by Asda, Co-operative, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Tesco, which were described by the Food Standards Agency as “a possible risk to health”.
All of the products were made by yogurt producer Yeo Valley, mainly for the supermarkets’ own-brand ranges. But, as well as the own-label yogurts, The Collective’s 150g and 450g wild blueberry yogurts are also being recalled.
Customers are being advised to return any of the affected yogurts to store for a full refund.
In its product recall, Sainsbury’s described the problem as confined to a “limited number” of packs, while the Co-operative said that the potential contamination had been brought to light by Yeo Valley itself.
“We have been made aware by our supplier that three varieties of Tesco yogurts may potentially contain pieces of rubber,” Tesco confirmed.
And Asda added that it was “recalling a number of its yogurts as there is a possibility a small number of these products may be contaminated with rubber”.
All of the retailers described the step as a “precautionary measure”.
In a statement, Yeo Valley confirmed that a piece of rubber was found in a fruit conserve, used in the yogurts, supplied by one of its suppliers. It said that the supplier had traced the cause, and identified all fruit conserves that may be affected. Echoing the assurances of the five supermarkets, the yogurt producer described the risk associated with the affected batches as “low”.
“Food safety and quality are paramount to Yeo Valley,” it said. “We are working with the Food Standards Agency and the supplier in question to ensure it does not happen again.”
Andy Archer, regional vice-president UK and Ireland for Epicor Software, told FoodBev: “No matter how sophisticated the systems, incidents which require manufacturers to trace and recall products and packaging up and down the production line will occur, at which point the well-rehearsed recall procedures should kick in, as we’re seeing today. Traceability is not only a legal requirement for food and beverage manufacturers, protecting the end consumer from serious harm, but also on a different level traceability offers the business benefit of being able to investigate each step of the manufacturing process, trace raw materials, manage distribution systems and pinpoint errors or potential risks.
“Large recalls like today serve as a reminder for manufacturers to ensure they have full traceability in place across their production line, in order to minimise the chances of a recall occurring. Recovering from a recall is as much about rehearsing and preparing for a potential situation as it is about implementing emergency processes if and when it does happen.”
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024