Allergy advice lifted as investigation into mustard ingredients contaminated with peanuts draws to a close

• Investigation leads to all affected products being removed from sale and precautionary advice to those with a peanut allergy to avoid eating foods that contain or may contain mustard, mustard powder, mustard seeds or mustard flour has been lifted.

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) have confirmed that all necessary food safety measures have been put in place and affected products removed from sale following an investigation into mustard products being contaminated with peanuts.

As a result, they have lifted their precautionary advice to people with a peanut allergy to avoid eating foods that contain or may contain mustard, mustard powder, mustard seeds or mustard flour both in the home and when eating out as these products are now safe to eat.

It is important that people with a peanut allergy should continue to avoid products that are listed in the allergy alert. Consumers and businesses are urged to check whether they still have any of the affected products listed and if so, they should follow the advice in the alerts.

Some mustard-based products will now have a precautionary allergen label (PAL) and consumers with a peanut allergy should check whether products they might have previously purchased carry these labels.

Stuart McAdam, Head of Incidents at FSS, said:

“This has been a complex investigation and I want to thank people for their ongoing patience while we’ve been working to identify the source and remove affected products from sale.

“I’m pleased to say we are now in a position to lift our consumer advice for people with a peanut allergy to avoid eating foods that contain or may contain mustard, mustard powder, mustard seeds or mustard flour and I hope this provides them with confidence that they can continue to enjoy these foods, both at home or when eating out.

“With thanks to the support and work of businesses, local authorities, trade associations and other government agencies, we are confident that the necessary food safety measures have been put in place and the affected products removed from sale, or carry a precautionary allergen label (PAL).

“We continue to encourage consumers with a food allergy and businesses to sign up for our allergy alerts to stay informed about product recalls in the future, enabling them to take action if necessary.”