Urgent Allergy Advice: Mustard Ingredients Contaminated with Peanuts
Explaining allergy advice on mustard ingredients contaminated with peanuts
Author: Darren Whitby, Head of Incidents and Resilience at the FSA
You may have seen recent coverage or information regarding mustard ingredients contaminated with peanuts. The FSA are advising people who have a peanut allergy to avoid consuming foods that contain or may contain mustard ingredients.
We are urgently working with the relevant local authorities, individual businesses and industry organisations to identify further products which are affected.
Here, we explain more about what our advice is, what consumers should look out for and what businesses should be doing.
Does this advice affect all products containing mustard, including mustard itself?
Those with a peanut allergy should avoid consuming any products containing mustard, mustard powder or mustard flour as an ingredient, until further notice, while we investigate. This includes:
- Wholegrain mustard
- Mustard used as a condiment or garnish
- Fresh/chilled products containing mustard as an ingredient
- Long shelf life products containing mustard as an ingredient
Can you provide a date or time frame when this contamination has occurred? For example, would those affected by peanut allergies be able to eat food in their cupboards purchased before June 2024?
We can’t provide a date or time frame at the moment, because it is unclear when the contamination began at the supplier in India. Until we can establish that, we are advising people with a peanut allergy to avoid all products containing mustard, including those purchased before June 2024.
Is it safe to eat out?
We are advising those with a peanut allergy to take extra precautions above those they usually take as they should avoid consuming products that contain or may contain mustard, mustard flour or mustard powder. So, if you can’t see the allergen information when you eat out please speak to staff, and if in any doubt do not consume. This advice also applies in settings such as schools, hospitals and care homes, as well as cafes and restaurants. We are working with industry organisations to make sure that businesses in these sectors are aware of and are acting on our advice.
How long will the investigation take? How long will people with a peanut allergy have to avoid eating foods that contain or may contain mustard, mustard flour or mustard powder?
Due to the nature of the contaminated product, the investigation is likely to be long and complex. We know of at least one UK based business that received a contaminated batch from the Indian supplier; we need to establish whether there are others. Mustard is an ingredient that is used in small quantities in many products, and those products may pass through more than one business before they reach the end consumer. For example, the contaminated mustard powder could have been made into a spice mix by one business, that is then supplied to another business to be added to a sauce, that is then supplied to another business to be used in a sandwich or ready meal, that is finally sold to consumers. The investigation is therefore a painstaking process for businesses and local authorities checking where contaminated products have been supplied to, and following up at each stage of the chain until all affected products are identified. The FSA has asked businesses to carry out this process as quickly as possible.
Does this advice just affect the UK?
We are aware that at least one of the affected products has been exported to Ireland. We are working closely with the Irish authorities and you can find details of the action that they are taking on their website. It is not clear whether the contaminated batch of mustard powder was exported from India to other countries, but we have alerted the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) to our investigation so that other food authorities can take appropriate action in their countries.
I work in a restaurant, what should I be doing to protect my customers?
It’s extremely important that anyone with a peanut allergy does not consume foods or drinks that contain or may contain mustard, mustard powder or mustard flour, because it may have been contaminated with peanuts.
If any of the items on your menu contain (or may contain mustard, mustard powder or mustard flour) please make sure you inform customers with peanut allergies, and tell them not to consume them.
We’re asking people with peanut allergies to check with cafe or restaurant staff if any of their products contain mustard – by law, food businesses must provide this information to customers.
You may also find it useful to refresh your knowledge of our general guidance on how to manage allergies in food businesses.
How can I find up to date information on which products have been affected?
A full list of recalled products can be found here. As always, we urge people with an allergy to sign up to our allergy alerts, to get future allergy product recall alerts by email or SMS text message. This is a free service.