ALDI Issues Recall for Popular Christmas Food — Why You Should Check Your Freezer
Marketers, copywriters, and graphic designers are adept at catching what makes a food product inviting to the customer. They select the best color scheme, the best design for the packaging, and the best description to make the product seem more and more seductive. When it comes to the customer’s perspective, all these elements are dimmed down into the shadows when they read the product’s ingredient labels. This label influences their purchasing decisions more than any fancy marketing tactic. An error in the label, therefore, can pose a make-or-break situation, sometimes even life-threatening. On December 11, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) announced a product recall for ALDI’s mozzarella sticks due to a mislabeling error that potentially led to an undeclared egg allergen.
Customers who recently purchased Mozzarella Sticks in Blankets from ALDI's Perfect Christmas brand should re-check their pantry and review the details. FSA says some of these products contain an egg-related ingredient that is not mentioned in the ingredients label due to a mislabeling error. The sleeves of the packages are flanked with colorful labels that include the brand’s name, a use-by date of December 15, 2025, the barcode 4069365328743, the pack’s size 278 grams, and a description that reads “Golden and crispy crumbed mozzarella wrapped in smoky bacon, served with a sweet chilli sauce.”
As tantalizing as the description sounds, these £2.99 ($4) festive bites have been pulled from ALDI’s shelves. The undeclared egg allergen could inevitably pose a health risk for someone who is allergic or intolerant to eggs. Egg allergy is triggered when the immune system mistakes the proteins in eggs for harmful invaders. At contact with egg allergens, the immune system activates its defense mechanism and releases floods of chemicals that can provoke severe symptoms in the body.
ACAAI estimates that as many as 2 percent of children are allergic to eggs. About 70 percent of them outgrow this allergy by the age of 16, but those who don’t, this recall notice is for them. Sadly, the labelling errors like undeclared food allergens can’t be avoided. Despite stringent production practices, the manufacturer can fail to notice these little blunders. In the end, caution is the most effective cure. A study published in Trends in Food Science and Technology revealed that “undeclared allergen” was one of the top causes behind these recalls. It is unnerving to think that many of these labelling errors could go unnoticed by the manufacturer. Thankfully, ALDI caught the mistake just in the nick of time.
The supermarket chain also issued a point-of-sale notice, explaining to the customers why the product is being recalled and advising them what to do if they have bought the product. Although the notice doesn’t include any details of the reported illnesses, ingesting egg allergens can set off a painful trail of symptoms in the body, including vomiting, stomach cramps, indigestion, diarrhea, wheezing, difficulty breathing, skin reactions, dizziness, and more, per ACAAI.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms after consuming the affected product, you should visit the nearest doctor immediately. Until the recall is terminated, FSA urges customers to "not eat it.” Instead, the best option is to return it to your nearest ALDI store for a full refund.
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