By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The National Consumer Commission (NCC) has urged consumers who bought Knorr Cup-a-Soup Lite Beef and Vegetable to stop using the product and return it, following a recall.
The NCC said irregular sachets with potentially harmful ingredients were incorrectly packed into cartons of this product.
Acting commissioner Thezi Mabuza said, “We’ve been told that the product contains wheat and gluten, which are ingredients of their regular brand. The consumption thereof led to reaction for those allergic to wheat and gluten.”
“The affected products were manufactured on 23 March 2022 with an expiry date of 22 September 2023.
“Consumers are urged to look for the following product description to determine whether the product forms part of the recall,” she said.
Mabuza advised people who were allergic to wheat and gluten to not consume the product.
“This is because the allergens could trigger an allergic reaction and provoke symptoms associated with consuming gluten and wheat.”
She further cautioned suppliers to consider safety measures.
“Suppliers of goods and services must ensure that they distribute goods that meet the requirement of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA). Suppliers need to carry out practices that will assure consumers that the product is safe to consume and is of acceptable quality.”
The commission would monitor the recall of the product, Mabuza said.
Unilever said in a statement, “We recently discovered that a small number of Knorr ‘Cup-a-Soup Beef and Vegetable Lite’ boxes, which we have produced, mistakenly contain sachets of ‘Knorr “Cup-a-Soup Beef and Vegetable Regular’. As a result, the affected stock does not declare the presence of wheat and gluten as allergens on the box.”
The company noted that if you have boxes of the soup marked with BB 22 SEP 23 2082 E, you should not use them but rather return the products to your nearest retailer for a refund.
“Consumers are urged to return the products and not to dispose of it themselves. If you are allergic to wheat or gluten and have experienced any symptoms after using a sachet of Knorr “Cup-a-Soup Beef and Vegetable Lite” from the affected batch, please contact your doctor and inform the Unilever SA Consumer Careline on 0860 331 441, ” read the statement.
The company also noted that no other ‘Cup-a-Soup’ or Knorr products are affected by this recall but emphasised with consumers to check the best before date marked on the box carefully first before contacting them, as products which do not bear the best before the date of BB 22 SEP 23 2082 E are not affected, and people can continue to enjoy their favourite soup as normal.