Food recall cancelled as Appletiser alert made in error

Sainsbury's briefly reissued a product recall notice for Appletiser, but the supermarket has now confirmed it was posted in error and has been removed. The original recall was issued in January after tests found elevated levels of chlorate, a chemical byproduct that can form during water treatment.

At the time, certain six-packs of the Coca-Cola-owned sparkling drink, with best-before dates of 30 November and 31 December and production codes 328 GE to 338 GE, were withdrawn from sale. Customers were advised to return them for a full refund.

That earlier alert also affected other Coca-Cola brands, including Coke, Sprite, Fanta, Tropico and Appletiser, across the UK and EU. The European Food Safety Authority warned that excessive chlorate consumption could pose health risks, particularly to the thyroid and kidneys, and may be more dangerous for infants and children.

Yesterday, the recall notice appeared again on Sainsbury’s website, prompting confusion.

A supermarket spokesperson said today (August 14): “The Appletiser recall notice was uploaded to our website in error and has now been removed.”

No new recall has been issued, and Sainsbury’s said there is no current safety concern with Appletiser on sale in its stores.