A range of high-street supermarkets — Asda, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Tesco and Morrisons — have pulled a number of gluten-free products marketed under their own brand labels. The products were prepared by one company and include pita bread and pizza bases. The reason for the recall is because the products may contain gluten following a mix-up in the preparation process.
According to the BBC, the Asda products include gluten-free pizza bases, garlic and coriander naan breads or white pitta breads.
Those from Sainsbury’s include pizza bases, multiseeded and white pitta breads, sultana scones, garlic and coriander naan breads and syrup pancakes.
Waitrose’s affected foods include gluten-free pancakes, pitta and scones.
Tesco products are: “Free From” garlic and coriander naan, crumpets, pizza bases and pitta bread.
With Morrisons the foods was its “Free From” pizza bases.
Tests showed that the products contained between 5-80 parts per million of gluten. Some people are allergic to gluten (coeliac disease, an autoimmune disease); whereas others have non-coeliac gluten sensitivity (or ‘intolerance.’) The main types of grains containing gluten are wheat, barley and rye.
Many of the products were prepared by Genius Foods. In an interview with The Grocer, Genius chief executive Roz Cuschieri said: “While what happened should never have happened, our retail partners are working very closely with us to understand what we are doing as a result and to get production back on track, which is happening as we speak. The recalled Genius products are back in the market and we are producing the majority of retailer lines now.”
An investigation into the incident is continuing.
