A food recall for a sauce sold in a major UK supermarket has been issued. A labelling issue means that UK shoppers who are allergic to peanuts might consume them without realising. Laoganma Brand Black Bean Chilli Sauce was pulled from supermarket shelves due to the contamination, with jars of the sauce with specific best-before dates affected. It is estimated that more than 2 million people in the UK suffer from peanut allergies.

The distributor of the product, Fortune Foods, issued an apology about the labelling error and said that it "deeply regrets" the mistake. The product is sold in Sainsbury's as well as speciality Asian supermarkets across the country. The batch number for the affected item is 18232, and it has a best-before date of March 8, 2026. Those who have purchased the contaminated product have been advised to return to the store from which they bought it and go to an allergy support service if they need advice. The Food Standards Agency has issued a nationwide alert over the contaminated product.

Meanwhile, the distributor said in a statement: "A limited number of units of Laogana Brand Black Bean Chilli Sauce have been mislabelled due to an incorrect label being applied during packaging.

"The Laoganma Brand Black Bean Chilli Sauce 280g label has been wrongly placed on Laoganma Brand Chilli Oil with Peanuts 275g.

"As a result, peanuts, a known allergen, is not properly declared on the ingredient list.

"While not all units are affected, and this issue was isolated, the safety of our customers is our highest priority.

"Individuals with a peanut allergy may risk a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product.

"We deeply regret this incident and are taking immediate steps to strengthen our labelling and quality control procedures to prevent a recurrence."

Those who suffer from a peanut allergy can have varying reactions depending on how much they have consumed and the severity of their allergy. Mild reactions include skin irritation and an upset stomach, while more severe reactions include a drop in blood pressure, a swollen tongue and difficulty breathing.