Waitrose Recalls Sushi Ginger, Chicken Deli Pieces, and Pasta Scoop Over Glass, Allergens, and Carcinogen Risks

On October 28, 2025, Waitrose & Partners issued a trio of urgent product recalls — one for a jar of sushi ginger, another for chicken deli slices, and a third for a kitchen utensil — each posing very different but equally serious risks to consumers. The most alarming? A 150ml bottle of KELLY LOVES SUSHI GINGER that may contain fragments of glass. The company didn’t mince words: "Do not consume." Not even a tiny taste. Not even if you think you’re fine. One shard, one slip, one misstep — and it could mean emergency care.

Glass in the Ginger: A Silent Hazard

The KELLY LOVES SUSHI GINGER recall stems from an internal quality check that detected possible glass contamination during packaging. The product, sold exclusively through Waitrose, has a best-before date of October 2026 and is typically used as a palate cleanser with sushi or in dressings. But here’s the twist: the glass isn’t from the jar itself. It’s believed to have come from a broken vial in the production line, with fragments possibly embedded in the syrup. No injuries have been reported — yet. That’s the scary part. Consumers might not know they’ve ingested glass until it’s too late.

Customers are told to package the item securely and return it to any Waitrose store for a full refund. For questions, they can call Waitrose Customer Care at 0800 188 884, Option 4. Interestingly, Coca-Cola — yes, the soda giant — is also listed as a contact point. That’s because Coca-Cola owns the Kelly Loves brand under its premium food division. A spokesperson said: "We take full responsibility. This is not the standard we hold ourselves to."

Hidden Allergens in "This Isn’t" Chicken

While the ginger recall made headlines, another product quietly slipped under the radar: THIS ISN’T Chicken Deli Pieces. The packaging doesn’t list wheat or soya as ingredients — but lab tests confirmed they’re there. For people with celiac disease or severe soy allergies, this isn’t just inconvenient. It’s life-threatening. One reaction could trigger anaphylaxis.

The product, marketed as a plant-based alternative, was distributed nationwide. Waitrose says the error occurred during a recent supplier switch. "We thought we’d verified the formulation," admitted a company insider. "We were wrong." The same return protocol applies: stop using it, seal it, bring it back. No receipt needed. No questions asked.

The Pasta Scoop That Could Be Toxic

Then there’s the Good Grips Pasta Scoop Strainer — a seemingly harmless kitchen tool. But here’s the catch: it’s leaching primary aromatic amines (PAAs) — industrial chemicals used in dyes and pigments. The UK’s Food Standards Agency sets strict limits on PAAs in food-contact materials. This batch, identified by Batch Number UK12019 and purchased between May 15, 2024, and October 25, 2025, exceeds those limits by 37%.

Long-term exposure to PAAs has been linked to bladder and liver cancer in animal studies. The risk isn’t immediate — it’s cumulative. Someone using this scoop daily for a year might not notice anything. But over time? The chemical builds up. And that’s what keeps regulators awake at night.

A Pattern of Oversight?

This isn’t Waitrose’s first recall. Back in June 2024, the same retailer pulled Waitrose Essentials Salted Dairy Butter after customers found bits of blue cloth in the packaging. That incident, reported by New Food Magazine, raised eyebrows. Now, three recalls in 18 months — two involving physical contaminants, one involving hidden allergens, and one involving toxic chemicals — suggests a deeper problem.

Industry analyst Sarah Linton, who tracks food safety compliance, told us: "Waitrose prides itself on premium quality. But when recalls pile up like this, it’s not just about supply chain errors. It’s about culture. Are they prioritizing speed over safety? Are their audits just paperwork?" Meanwhile, Primal Kitchen — a US-based brand — recalled 2,060 cases of avocado oil in August 2025 because its glass bottles were prone to breakage. No injuries were reported, but the company admitted it only caught the issue after oil leaked in warehouse containers. Waitrose, by contrast, didn’t catch the glass in the ginger until after it was already on shelves.

What Happens Next?

The UK’s Food Standards Agency has launched a formal review of Waitrose’s supplier verification process. A public hearing is scheduled for November 15, 2025. Meanwhile, the supermarket has pledged to hire an independent food safety auditor — a move that comes too late for some consumers.

The real question isn’t whether Waitrose will fix its systems. It’s whether customers will trust them again. One recall is a mistake. Two is a pattern. Three? That’s a crisis of confidence.