Lidl Red Hen Chicken Burgers Recalled Over Undeclared Celery

Half the people I know couldn't tell you celery is a legally declared allergen, and that's exactly why a slip like this matters. Lidl GB is recalling its Red Hen Gastro 2 Southern Fried Chicken Thigh Burgers because the celery in them isn't made clear on the label. If you have a celery allergy and a pack of these sitting in the fridge or freezer, read on.

What's Affected

• Product: Red Hen Gastro 2 Southern Fried Chicken Thigh Burgers
• Pack size: 330g
• Dates affected: All dates

The recall covers every pack, no matter the use-by date, so there's no specific code to hunt for. If it's a 330g pack of Red Hen Gastro 2 Southern Fried Chicken Thigh Burgers from Lidl, it's included.

What You Should Do

If you have an allergy to celery:

• Don't eat them. Celery allergy reactions can range from itching and swelling to, in some cases, anaphylaxis, and the burgers don't flag the celery clearly enough for an allergy sufferer to spot the risk.
• Return them to a Lidl GB store for a full refund. You don't need a receipt.
• Already eaten some? If you're getting symptoms, an itchy or tingling mouth, swelling, hives, stomach cramps, or trouble breathing, seek medical advice. For a severe reaction, use your adrenaline auto-injector if you carry one and call 999.
• No celery allergy in the house? The burgers are perfectly safe to eat. The recall is only about the celery not being emphasised on the label, nothing else.

For more information, you can contact Lidl GB Customer Care on 0203 966 5566 or by email at [email protected].

Why Celery Catches People Out

Celery is one of the 14 allergens UK food law requires to be flagged, yet it's easily lost on a label crammed with ingredients. It hides in stock, in seasoning blends, in the savoury coating you'd find on a fried chicken burger, usually as celery seed or extract rather than the stalk you'd recognise. A breaded, seasoned product is precisely the kind that needs a clear label, because you can't tell it's there by looking or tasting. If you live with a celery allergy and shop at Lidl, bookmark the FSA alerts page so these don't slip past you.