The National Consumer Commission (NCC) and Unilever have urged consumers to return Knorr Cup-a-Soup Beef and Vegetable Lite to the point of sale for a full refund.
Consumer goods company Unilever South Africa announced that it discovered a small number of Knorr Cup-a-Soup Beef and Vegetable Lite boxes the company produced which mistakenly contain sachets of Knorr Cup-a-Soup Beef and Vegetable Regular. This means that the affected stock does not declare the presence of wheat and gluten as allergens on the box.
“If you have any boxes of Knorr Cup-a-Soup Beef and Vegetable Lite marked with BB 22 SEPT 23 2082 E please do not use them but rather return the products to your nearest retailer for a refund. Consumers are urged to return the products and not to dispose of it themselves,” Unilever SA said.
The company also urged customers who are allergic to wheat or gluten and experienced symptoms after using one of the affected sachets to contact their doctor and call the Unilever SA consumer careline.
Unilever SA added that no other Cup-a-Soup or Knorr products are affected by the recall but urged consumers to check the best before date marked on the box carefully before contacting the company.
The National Consumer Commission (NCC)’s acting national commissioner Thezi Mabuza urged customers in possession of Cup-a-Soup Beef and Vegetable Lite to discontinue use of the product and return it to the point of sale for a full refund.
“The manufacturer, Unilever South Africa informed the Commission that Knorr Cup-a-Soup Regular-Beef and Vegetable instant soup variant sachets were incorrectly packed into the Knorr Cup-a-Soup Lite Beef and Vegetable instant soup variant cartons.
“We understand that this means that consumers could unknowingly consume the Knorr Cup-a-Soup Lite Beef and Vegetable variant which unintentionally contains the undeclared wheat and gluten,” said Mabuza.
Consumers allergic to both wheat and gluten are advised not to consume the recalled product as the allergens could trigger an allergic reaction and provoke symptoms associated with consuming gluten and wheat, she said.
“I want to remind suppliers of goods and services to put safety measures in place to ensure that they distribute goods that meet the requirements of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA).
“Suppliers need to carry out practices that will assure consumers that the product is safe to consume and is of acceptable quality.
“The CPA empowers consumers to choose and examine goods. It is also the consumers’ right to receive safe and quality goods. The commission is monitoring this recall based on its Recall Guidelines,” Mabuza said.
@Chulu_M