By Nick Wilson.
Unilever’s popular Knorr brand has recalled its Brown Onion Gravy sachets after a small batch was accidentally filled with another product.
Unilever South Africa said it had recently discovered a small batch of the sachets mistakenly contained the ingredients of the Knorr Professional Brown Sauce Base.
Consequently, the affected batch contains cow’s milk and soy as allergens, which are not declared on the ingredients in the Knorr Brown Onion Gravy packaging.
Consumers who purchased packets from the affected batch – marked “BB 11 December 2025” or “BB 12 December 2025” – have been asked not to consume the products and return them to the nearest point of sale for a refund. They can also notify Unilever via its Consumer Careline on 0860 331 441 or Consumer Engagement Centre WhatsApp line on 067 429 7040.
Janine van Rooyen, Unilever’s nutrition lead for southern Africa, said the group regretted the inconvenience this may cause.
“As a brand that believes good food matters, the health and well-being of our consumers is of utmost importance. When the recent findings came to our attention, we immediately seized production and made the necessary adjustments to rectify the situation,” said Van Rooyen.
This is not the first time that Knorr has had to recall a product in SA because of a mistake around packaging.
In May 2022, the instant soup product Knorr Cup-a-Soup Lite Beef and Vegetable was recalled after sachets were incorrectly packaged with Knorr Cup-a-Soup Regular Beef and Vegetable.
The affected Knorr Cup-a-Soup Lite Beef and Vegetable sachets did not declare the wheat and gluten they then contained.