Aldi shopper's warning to parents after 'scary' find in sultanas
The concerned mum was shocked by the discovery inside the popular children's snack, which she described as a choking hazard.
An Aussie mum has called for a popular Aldi product to be recalled after she bit down into a hard piece of plastic found in a small pack of chocolate-coated sultanas — a snack popular among kids. Phoebe Hefron issued a dire warning to other parents following her discovery, which she described as a choking hazard, in a pack of Sweet Vine Growers Choice Chocolate Coated Australian Sultanas.
The mum, from Golden Bay, Western Australia, said she didn't want to "bash" the German supermarket, which she loved, but she felt she had to warn others about what she found in the item purchased from her local Aldi store.
"Please be careful if you buy these for your children. My kids absolutely love them, I decided to try them tonight (and) went to bite down and couldn’t," she wrote on social media.
“Pulled this out of my mouth, it’s a hard piece of plastic. I’m more worried about children who would choke on it.”
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Hefron said she posted about the matter online to “spread awareness” and had contacted Aldi which had “been really great so far”. She claimed the supermarket was investigating a recall with the brand that made the sultanas.
Yahoo News Australia contacted Aldi for comment on the matter and while a spokesperson declined to issue an official statement, they said Aldi representatives had been in contact with the customer and were currently investigating the allegation with Sweet Vine Growers Choice.
Lydia Buchtmann, CEO of the Food Safety Information Council Food, told Yahoo: “Food sold in Australia must be both safe and suitable" and agreed "this could be a choking hazard, especially for small children.” She said Food Standards ANZ was responsible for recalls which were “fast and efficient”.
A Food Standards spokesperson said its main role was to protect public health and safety and all food sold in Australia must comply with the Food Standards Code. However, the spokesperson said while the independent statutory authority set the Code, it did not enforce it. Instead, this responsibility fell to state and territory food agencies and local councils.
“While FSANZ coordinates food recalls in Australia, it cannot order or force a recall because it has no enforcement powers,” they told Yahoo.
“These powers rest with the jurisdictions, who work with food businesses to initiate a recall if and when required. While we note the retailer is investigating this matter, state and territory food agencies can also investigate food complaints.”
Parents shocked by the discovery: 'Holy cow, this is so scary'
In the comments on Hefron’s post, some customers leapt to Aldi’s defence, stating it was the fault of the supplier rather than the popular retailer but thanked her for the “heads up”.
“Wtf, my son loves them,” one wrote, while another said: “My daughter eats these all the time.” A third commented: “Holy cow this is so scary. Have you checked to see if there’s any more in these?”
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