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Coles recalls Easter eggs over nut scare

Coles recalls Easter eggs over nut scare

Supermarket giant Coles is recalling three brands of Easter Eggs labelled as peanut free after testing revealed they contained traces of tree nut.

The nationwide recall is for Coles Brand 30 Milk Chocolate Hollow Easter Eggs (510g bag), Coles Brand Milk Chocolate Easter Bag – Contains Milk Chocolate Bunny & Hollow Eggs (300g bag) and Coles Brand Hollow Milk Chocolate Easter Eggs, 204g 12 pack carton (all best before dates up to and including 31 Jan 2015.

The first two products were recalled today, the third was recalled yesterday after a NSW boy suffered an allergic reaction.

According to Anaphylaxis Australia, the tree nut family includes almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, hazelnuts, hickory nuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts and others.

Tree nuts are different to peanuts because they come from a different plant family.

This means that people who are allergic to peanuts are not necessarily allergic to tree nuts and vice versa, although people who are allergic to one tree nut have a tendency to be allergic to other tree nuts.

All three recalled products are sold in Coles and BI-LO stores throughout Australia.

In a statement, Coles said any consumer who has a tree nut allergy or intolerance may have a reaction if the product is consumed.

The products are labelled as “Peanut Free” and testing has confirmed no traces of peanuts in any of the products, so they are safe for customers who do not have a tree nut allergy to consume, the statement said.

However, given the traces of tree nuts not declared on the packaging, Coles believes the responsible action to take is to recall the products from customers.

Customers who have a tree nut allergy or intolerance should not use these products but return them to the nearest Coles or BI-LO store for a full refund.

Coles has tested other products manufactured by the same supplier and none has been found to contain peanuts or tree nuts.