Aldi recalls popular chocolate snack and issues ‘do not eat’ warning

Aldi has recalled a popular chocolate snack because it could be a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy to peanuts.

The Dairyfine Crispy Choc Um’s, an M&M-style chocolatey treat, have been taken off shelves as they may contain peanuts.

Customers are being asked to return any packets they have of the chocolates to their nearest Aldi store in exchange for a refund.

Nut allergy charity Anaphylaxis UK responded to the news, saying: “We have been alerted by Aldi that it is recalling Dairyfine Crispy Choc Um’s from sale because they may contain peanuts, which is not correctly declared on the ingredient label.

“The product is therefore unsuitable for and should be avoided by anyone with an allergy or intolerance to peanuts”.

Around six per cent of the UK adult population have a food allergy of some kind – around 2.4 million people – according to the Food Standards Agency.

It is estimated that around 1 in 50 children in the UK have a peanut allergy, charity Allergy UK said, and this is on the rise.

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Peanut allergy has seen a threefold increase in recent decades. However, scientists believe that these rates could plummet if peanut products were added to all babies’ diets at four to six months of age.

Researchers at the University of Southampton found that peanut allergies are more common in children with severe eczema and egg allergy. As a result, they recommend giving babies with eczema peanut butter or other suitable peanut snacks from four months old.

Scientists predict this could reduce peanut allergy across the population by up to 77 per cent.

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In a notice posted on Saturday, Aldi said: “As a precautionary measure, our supplier is recalling Dairyfine Crispy Choc Um’s because they may contain peanuts. Customers are asked to return this product to their nearest store, where a full refund will be given.

“We apologise that this product did not meet our normal high standards and thank you for your co-operation.”

The notice comes after Aldi was forced to recall tubs of ice cream that had been sold without a key allergen on the label.

Earlier in October, Aldi recalled Gianni’s Cheeky Monkey Ice Cream because it contained wheat, which was not listed on the tub. This made the product a possible health risk for anyone with coeliac disease or a gluten allergy.