Sheep farmer baffled by lamb chops with allergy warnings

A sheep farmer has expressed his shock that lamb chops bought from his local Sainsbury’s supermarket were labelled as not suitable for his wife who has a gluten intolerance.

Neil Tarn, who farms 500 Swaledale ewes and 50 suckler cows in Upper Teesdale, says the packet of British lamb chops in question carried a long list of warnings for allergy sufferers.

He bought the packet of two British lamb chops from the fresh meat aisle at his local Sainsbury’s store in Darlington on Tuesday (20 November).

See also: Retailers slammed for misleading lamb labels

But after he took the chops home and read the label carefully, he realised that his wife, who has a gluten intolerance and is allergic to wheat, would not be able to eat them.

Mr Tarn was also surprised to read that the chops were not suitable for people with allergies to crustaceans, nuts, egg, fish, soya, milk, peanuts, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame, sulphites or molluscs “due to the way these products are prepared”.

Cross contamination

Sainsbury’s said the label was included as a precaution against the possibility of cross contamination from other food products during the packaging process.

Mr Tarn told Farmers Weekly: “My wife is a coeliac and my daughter-in-law is allergic to eating fish. A lot of shoppers would look at this label and be shocked to find that these lamb chops are unsuitable for so many people with different allergies.

“I think Sainsbury’s should have a dedicated cutting room, which would rule out any risk of any cross contamination from other foods.

“A lot of people who normally eat meat but have allergies would look at this product and think they daren’t risk that and they won’t buy it.”

He added: “Sainsbury’s should be keeping its meat free from any risk of contamination. I think the labelling could also be a bit clearer.”

Neil Tarn (left) with his brother Tim at Middleton-in-Teesdale Auction Mart with their Swaledale tups

Prepared at meat counter

The Association of Independent Meat Traders described the packaging as “unusual”. A spokesman said: “It looks like Sainsbury’s is covering itself following the recent stories about deaths connected to people with food allergies.

“If there is a risk that the product could contain any of the listed allergens of the 14 groups, they have an obligation to state it.”

A Sainsbury’s spokesman said: “The lamb chops are one of our products that are prepared at the meat counter and then placed on our shelves.

“Meat prepared in store includes allergen information as a purely precautionary measure.”