Shoppers are being urged to check their cupboards and kitchens after several high-street retailers issued urgent product recalls. Customers at Asda, Argos and Farmfoods are among those being told to return items immediately due to safety concerns ranging from potential fire hazards to life-threatening undeclared allergens.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has flagged several popular products – including air fryers, cheesecakes and snacks – as “risk to health” or “unsafe”. A major safety alert has been issued for six different models of Tower Air Fryers sold across various major retailers, including Argos, B&M, Poundland and Sainsbury’s. The affected units – manufactured between January 2022 and April 2023 – have been found to overheat and ignite during use, posing a significant fire risk. Owners are advised to stop using the appliances immediately and unplug them.
The affected models include the T17023 Tower 2.2Ltr Manual Air Fryer, the T17087 Tower 2Ltr Compact Manual Air Fryer and the T17129L Tower Vortx 8L Air Fryer. Customers can visit the Tower safety website to register for a refund or a replacement unit.
Dessert giant Gü Indulgent Foods, which sells products in supermarkets across the UK, including Asda, has issued a recall for its Blonde Chocolate Cheesecake (2 x 82g) because it was accidentally packed with a different product containing hazelnuts. As the packaging does not mention hazelnuts, it poses a severe risk to anyone with a nut allergy. Those who purchased this product – with a batch code of 226044 and a use-by date of March 12 – and have a hazelnut allergy have been told not to consume it and return it to your supermarket, for a full refund.
The FSA said: “If you have bought the product and have an allergy to hazelnuts (nuts) do not eat it. Instead return it to the store from where it was bought for a full refund. No receipt required. For more information, please contact recall@gupuds.com.”
Farmfoods is also recalling the Ritz Cheese Sandwich (91g), specifically those originating from Indonesia. The product contains milk, soya, and wheat (gluten), which are not properly highlighted on the label. This makes the snack a health risk for anyone with coeliac disease or an intolerance or allergy to milk, soya, or wheat. The recall affects all batch codes from Indonesian stock only and does not affect products originating from other countries.
The FSA said: “If you have bought this product, and have an allergy or intolerance to any of the allergens listed, do not eat it. Instead, return it to the store from which you bought the product for a full refund. For further information contact the Farmfoods Customer Services on 0121 700 7160.”
Farmfoods said: “We take consumer safety very seriously and sincerely apologise to our loyal customers for this situation and any inconvenience it may have caused.”
