CEREAL bars are being pulled off shelves over fears they may contain pieces of metal.
The products were recalled after ‘bristle’-like fragments were found in a small number of bars.
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Brand Organic recalled five flavours of MadeGood granola bars, according to a recent alert by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
“The presence of metal makes these products unsafe to eat,” the food watchdog said.
Aside from the UK, the recall also affects MadeGood bars sold in the US.
In an announcement on its website, the company said pieces of metal found their way into a small number of bars due to a manufacturing issue.
“We have conducted an extensive investigation where the recalled products were manufactured and have identified the source of an isolated issue in the manufacturing process that has been corrected,” it said.
“The company has remedied the issue and tested the new processes to ensure that any future is fully mitigated.”
MadeGood also explained what metal fragments may look like.
“The piece of metal is a small, flat brush bristle, and highly unlikely to be present in our products,” it said.
“We received seven complaints out of the hundreds of millions of bars sold, and no injuries have been reported,” the company also noted.
In the UK, the bars are sold in shops like Planet Organic, as well as Amazon.
The recall affects the following granola bar flavours:
- Chocolate chip – with best before dates of May 30, May 31 and November 18, 2025
- Mixed berry – with best before dates of May 22 and June 27, 2025
- Chocolate banana – with a best before date of December 24, 2025
- Chocolate drizzled birthday cake – with best before dates of January 11, February 13, March 6, April 4, May 6, June 6, July 6, August 19 and August 21, 2025
- Chocolate drizzled vanilla – with best before dates of March 7, June 24 and August 27, 2025
You’ll find the best before dates on the back of each pack.
Customers who’ve bought any of the above products were advised not to eat them.
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Instead, there were advised to first check if their granola bars fall under any of the affected best before dates.
Next, customers were told to return the packs to the store they bought them at for a full refund – whether or not they have a receipt for the purchase.
Swallowing sharp objects like metal may injure the teeth, mouth and food pipe, and be a choking risk.
If fragments make it further into the body, this can puncture the intestines and cause internal bleeding in severe cases.
Always seek urgent medical help if you think you have swallowed something made of metal.
The latest recall comes after Waitrose pulled a supplement off shelves over fears it may contain small stones and pieces of metal
What to do if someone is choking
Mild choking
If the airway is only partly blocked, the person will usually be able to speak, cry, cough or breathe, and may be able to clear the blockage themselves.
In adults:
- Encourage them to keep coughing
- Ask them to try to spit out the object
- Don’t put your fingers in their mouth
- If coughing doesn’t work, start back blows
In children:
- If you can see the object, try to remove it (but don’t poke blindly)
- Encouraging coughing
- Shout for help if coughing isn’t effective or the child is silent
- Use back blows if the child is still conscious but not coughing
Severe choking
In adults:
Where choking is severe, the person won’t be able to speak, cry, cough or breathe.
Without help, they’ll eventually become unconscious, so you should carry out back blows.
In children:
Back blows can be carried out on children under one year.
If this doesn’t work, chest thrusts can be started on kids up to 12 months old, and abdominal thrusts on those over one year.
Call 999 if the blockage doesn’t come out after trying back blows and either chest or abdominal thrusts.
Keep trying this cycle until help arrives.
Even if the object has come out, get medical help. Part of the object might have been left behind, or the patient might have been hurt by the procedure.
Source: NHS
