If you've spotted an unusual-looking bag of M&M's Pipoca - that's Portuguese for popcorn - in your local shop recently, you'll want to read this before tucking in. The Food Standards Agency has issued an allergy alert after it emerged that these Brazilian-made treats were relabelled for UK sale with ingredient stickers that completely failed to mention some serious allergens.
We're talking about peanuts and gluten confirmed in the product, with the possibility of barley, rye, and wheat as well. For anyone with a peanut allergy or coeliac disease, that's a potentially dangerous oversight hiding behind a familiar brand name.
The recall covers M&M's Pipoca in the 35g pack size, distributed by 3D Trading. Here's what you need to know:
The key issue is that these products were manufactured for the Brazilian market and then over-stickered with a UK label that didn't accurately reflect the original allergen information. So if the packaging looks a bit different from your usual M&M's, that's because it is - and the label can't be trusted.
If you've bought this product and have an allergy or intolerance to peanuts, gluten, barley, rye, or wheat, or if you have coeliac disease, do not eat it.
This is a good reminder that products with unfamiliar packaging or foreign-language labels deserve an extra look, even when the brand name seems familiar. An over-sticker is only as reliable as the person who wrote it.
This kind of recall - where imported products get relabelled without proper allergen translation - is exactly why it pays to stay informed. Keep an eye on this site and the FSA's official alerts page, especially if you or someone in your household manages a food allergy. A few seconds of checking could make all the difference.