TINS of baked beans on sale at four major supermarkets have been recalled over fears they contain small rubber balls.
The products present a choking hazard to anyone that eats them and are “unsafe to eat”, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) warned.
GettyTins of beans have been recalled from four major supermarkets[/caption]
Customers should return affected cans to their nearest store for a full refund. No receipt is required.
The “precautionary” recall applies to the following products from Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Morrisons:
Asda Baked Beans 210g (best before November 2025 – batch code 3313 or 3314)
Asda Mixed Bean Salad 400g (best before October 2027 – batch code 3293 or 3303)
Sainsbury’s Baked Beans and Pork Sausages 400g (best before November 2025 – batch code 3312)
Morrisons Branston Beans 4 x 410g in plastic wrap (best before December 2025 – batch code 3338)
Tesco Baked Beans & Pork Sausages 395g (best before November 2025 – batch code L3312)
Tesco Mixed Bean Salad in Vinaigrette 400g (best before October 2025 – batch code L3299)
All six could contain 1in (2.5cm) rubber balls, which are a “potential choking hazard”, health officials said.
“If you have bought the above products, do not eat them,” the FSA added.
“Instead, return them to the store from where they were bought for a full refund.”
No other products are known to be affected.
The Princes Group, which manufactures the beans, and all four supermarkets apologised for “any inconvenience caused”.
Notices have been posted online and displayed in stores.
Swallowing small objects like rubber balls is a choking risk for anyone, but particularly for young children.
It happens when someone’s airway suddenly gets blocked, either fully or partly.
If it is only partly blocked, the person will usually be able to speak, cry, cough or breathe and they can often clear the blockage themselves.
But in severe cases, when someone can’t help themselves, they will be silent and eventually fall unconscious without help.
It is vital to clear the blockage as soon as possible, according to the NHS.
You should also get urgent medical help if someone has a persistent cough after a choking incident, or they feel like something is still stuck in their throat.
What to do if someone is choking
Mild choking
If the airway is only partly blocked, the person will usually be able to speak, cry, cough or breathe, and may be able to clear the blockage themselves.
In adults:
Encourage them to keep coughing
Ask them to try to spit out the object
Don’t put your fingers in their mouth
If coughing doesn’t work, start back blows
In children:
If you can see the object, try to remove it (but don’t poke blindly)
Encouraging coughing
Shout for help if coughing isn’t effective or the child is silent
Use back blows if the child is still conscious but not coughing
Severe choking
In adults:
Where choking is severe, the person won’t be able to speak, cry, cough or breathe.
Without help, they’ll eventually become unconscious, so you should carry out back blows.
In children:
Back blows can be carried out on children under one year.
If this doesn’t work, chest thrusts can be started on kids up to 12 months old, and abdominal thrusts on those over one year.
Call 999 if the blockage doesn’t come out after trying back blows and either chest or abdominal thrusts.
Keep trying this cycle until help arrives.
Even if the object has come out, get medical help. Part of the object might have been left behind, or the patient might have been hurt by the procedure.
Source: NHS
Morrison’sBranston Beans, on sale in Morrisons, may contain small rubber balls[/caption]
AsdaAsda’s Baked Beans (210g) were also on the recall list[/caption]
Sainsbury’sSainsbury’s customers should return tins of Baked Beans & Pork Sausages (400g) for a refund[/caption]
TescoTesco’s similar product should also not be eaten[/caption]
AsdaCertain batches of Asda’s Mixed Bean Salad (400g) are also potentially ‘unsafe to eat’[/caption]
TescoCans of Tesco’s Mixed Bean Salad in Vinaigrette also pose a health risk[/caption]