Costa Coffee forced to recall new chicken and bacon pasta salad because label doesn't warn it contains mustard, milk and FISH

  • The £3.99 salad was launched earlier this month as part of chain's summer menu
  • If eaten by those allergic to milk and dairy, they could go into anaphylactic shock
  • Costa Coffee urged people not to eat salad and take product back for a refund 
  • Chain said labelling error only affected products with use-by date of May 22 

Costa Coffee has been forced to pull its Chicken and Bacon Pasta Salad because it contains fish, milk and mustard that are not mentioned on the label. 

The £3.99 salad, launched this month as part of the chain's new summer menu, may pose a risk to those allergic to milk and dairy products.

If eaten by allergy sufferers, they could go into anaphylactic shock - which can be fatal without urgent medical treatment. 

Costa Coffee has been forced to pull its Chicken and Bacon Pasta Salad because it contains fish, milk and mustard that are not mentioned on the label

Costa Coffee has been forced to pull its Chicken and Bacon Pasta Salad because it contains fish, milk and mustard that are not mentioned on the label

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) announced the recall on products with the use-by date of May 22. 

In a bulletin it said: 'If you have bought the above product, do not eat it. Instead, return it to the store from where it was bought for a full refund.'

A Costa spokesperson said: 'Costa Coffee is recalling its Chicken & Bacon Pasta Salad with a use by date of May 22 due to a product labelling error of undeclared allergens; fish, milk and mustard. 

WHAT IS ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK? 

Anaphylaxis, also known as anaphylactic shock, can kill within minutes.

It is a severe and potentially life-threatening reaction to a trigger, such as an allergy.

The reaction can often be triggered by certain foods, including peanuts, dairy products and shellfish.

However, some medicines, bee stings, and even latex used in condoms can also cause the life-threatening reaction.

According to the NHS, it occurs when the immune system overreacts to a trigger. 

Symptoms include: feeling lightheaded or faint; breathing difficulties – such as fast, shallow breathing; wheezing; a fast heartbeat; clammy skin; confusion and anxiety and collapsing or losing consciousness. 

It is considered a medical emergency and requires immediate treatment.

Insect stings are not dangerous for most victims but a person does not necessarily have to have a pre-existing condition to be in danger. 

An incremental build-up of stings can cause a person to develop an allergy, with a subsequent sting triggering the anaphylactic reaction.

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'Customers who bought a Chicken & Bacon Pasta Salad with a use by date of May 22 should not eat the product and instead, please return the product to the store, with or without a receipt for a full refund.

'We have immediately notified the correct allergen bodies and food governance agencies, and we are carrying out a full investigation as to how this happened.' 

Around two million people living in the UK have a food allergy, according to estimates. 

Anaphylaxis, also known as anaphylactic shock, can kill within minutes. It is a severe and potentially life-threatening reaction to a trigger, such as an allergy.

It comes after the FSA said earlier this month that retailers that prepare and package food to sell on-site should list all the ingredients they use to avoid allergy deaths.

The FSA board decided to recommend that food outlets must label all food with a full list of ingredients, highlighting the 14 major allergens, including nuts, eggs and milk.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will have the final say over whether new rules are introduced.

The proposed changes followed the death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died after having a sandwich from Pret A Manger.

Miss Ednan-Laperouse, 15, from Fulham, south-west London, collapsed on board a flight in July 2016 after eating a baguette from a Pret outlet in Heathrow Airport.

The coroner at her inquest said she died of anaphylaxis after eating the artichoke, olive and tapenade sandwich containing sesame, to which she was allergic.

He described Pret's labelling as 'inadequate', largely because the company used a legal loophole to avoid providing a full list of ingredients on the pack.

Following Natasha's death, her parents, Nadim and Tanya, from Fulham, South West London, launched a campaign for better labelling.

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