Packs of 99p Aldi tortilla wraps are being pulled from the shelves amid a police investigation into fears they have been deliberately tampered with.
The Government’s Food Standards Agency watchdog warned that ‘metal’ could be present in the wraps after they could have been sabotaged.
It said Signature Flatbreads UK, the makers of the Village Bakery 8 Tortilla Wraps, are ‘recalling the product and are working with the relevant food and police agencies to investigate the cause of the contamination’.
The FSA official notice said yesterday: ‘Signature Flatbreads UK is taking the precautionary step of recalling Village Bakery 8 Tortilla Wraps White because of a possible presence of metal, as the product may have been tampered with.
‘The possible presence of metal makes this product unsafe to eat.’
Packs of Aldi’s 99p Village Bakery 8 Tortilla Wraps tortilla wraps are being pulled from the shelves amid a police investigation into fears they have been deliberately tampered with as ‘metal’ could be present
The recall notice said that no other Aldi products have been affected, and apologised for not meeting ‘our normal high standards’
Customers have been urged not to eat the wraps and instead return them to the point of sale for a full refund (stock image)
They added, however, that the recall is not linked to any similar recent notices relating to metal contamination.
Another notice issued at the weekend by the FSA for the ‘possible presence of metal’ concerned bags of Taj Chopped Spinach, costing about £1.50 a bag, on sale in Asda.
The tortilla wraps notice today said: ‘No other Aldi or Signature Flatbreads UK products are affected.’
The FSA said the affected Village Bakery 8 Tortilla Wraps, made by Signature Flatbreads UK, come eight to a pack, weighing 62g, with a ‘best before’ date covering all dates up to and including 29 April 2024.
Notices will be displayed at the point of sale in all stores selling the wraps, explaining to customers why they are being recalled and telling them what to do if they bought the product.
Buyers have been urged not to eat the product and instead return it to where it was bought from in exchange for a full refund.
Any customers with queries or concerns have been advised to contact Aldi customer services at 0800 042 0800 or visit help.aldi.co.uk.
The supermarket’s recall notice added: ‘We apologise this did not meet our usual high standards and thank you for your co-operation.’
Signature Flatbreads, from Dunstable, Berkshire, was launched in 2015 and is a ‘third generation flatbread bakers which has grown from a small family business to a global leader in flatbread production’ according to its website.
It says it has ‘state of the art bakeries in the UK and India’.
The weekend’s Taj Chopped Spinach alert saw the FSA warn that the £1.50 bags – sold at Asda – could contain shards of metal.
According to March 17’s flatbread notice, Taj’s spinach scare does not appear to be linked to the warning about ‘deliberate contamination’ of the tortilla wraps, though both involve metal.
Anyone eating a product laced with metal could start spitting blood if they slice open their mouth and throat by not spotting the splinters.
The FSA said that the Taj spinach product is sold in Eden Farms as well as Asda.
‘Taj Foods is recalling Taj Chopped Spinach because it may contain pieces of metal.
‘Customers who have already bought the product are being urged not to eat it and instead return it to the point of sale.
Earlier last weekend, a seperate recall notice was issued by the FSA for the ‘possible presence of metal’ in bags of Taj Chopped Spinach
The 450 gram packets of spinach are sold in Asda and Eden Farms (stock image)
‘Point of sale notices will be displayed in all retail stores that are selling this product.
‘These notices explain to customers why the product is being recalled and tell them what to do if they have bought the product.
‘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.’
The relevant packages of spinach weigh 450g, with batch codes 144009 and 144010 and a best before date of January 2026.
Import and export company Taj Foods, based in Woodford Green, Essex, called the spinach recall a ‘precautionary step’, adding: ‘We apologise for inconvenience caused by this situation.’