One of South Africa’s largest retailers, Woolworths, sounded a warning on Friday, announcing a recall of some of its chicken vienna products.
Woolworths said that through a routine quality control test, a fault was discovered in a production line, which resulted in cross-contamination of milk protein between Chicken Viennas and Chicken and Cheese Viennas.
Woolworths said that it is recalling Woolworths Smoked Chicken Viennas, Cocktail Chicken Viennas and Halaal Smoked Chicken Viennas with the sell-by date 27 May 2023 with immediate effect.
In a statement, the retailer said, “Woolworths prides itself on exceptionally high standards, and we go to great lengths, with very strict protocols within a rigorous food safety management process, to ensure all food we produce, package and sell is the quality our customers expect. Food safety is critically important to us, and the well-being of our customers is our first priority.”
“While the cheese may not be obvious through taste or visible in the product, we are removing all the products from our shelves. Customers who have an allergy to cow’s milk may experience an adverse reaction to even trace amounts of milk protein. The Chicken viennas do not have allergy warning labelling. Our Chicken viennas with the sell-by date 27 May 2023 are produced in four variants, outlined below, and are sold in two countries; South Africa and Botswana,” Woolworths further stated.
“Customers who have purchased the product, should return the product to their local store for a full refund. For more information, please contact our customer service centre on 0860 022 002 or visit woolworths.co.za,” Woolworths further said.
Earlier this month, the retailer’s health and safety guidelines was called into question after a Cape Town shopper shared a video on social media of what appeared to be a field mouse making itself cosy in a pack of free-range chicken, it immediately went viral.
After the post was seen on Twitter, Woolworths responded:
“We have launched an in-depth investigation into the incident; senior management have visited the site to assess the situation and an independent auditor will verify our findings. In the immediate term, the store is undergoing a forensic deep clean.
“Our values underpin our commitment to the well-being of our customers and people. Your trust in Woolies is supremely important and we are taking every measure to ensure this never happens again.”
Woolies is deeply committed to the highest standards of hygiene and food safety. Each store undergoes routine inspections and audits on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis covering aspects relating to food safety, our cold chain, cleaning, pest control and due diligence. (3)
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