Waitrose recalls Hot Cross Buns over undeclared barley allergen - 'serious risk'

Waitrose is recalling a dessert product containing undeclared ingredients that could pose a serious risk to certain shoppers. Waitrose and Partners is recalling packs of 4 Richly Fruited Hot Cross Buns after it emerged the product contains barley that is not listed on the packaging.

The recall applies to any pack carrying a best-before date of June 6. Waitrose is retrieving the product from customers and has notified the relevant allergy support organisations, who will inform their members of the recall.

In-store notices will advise customers why the product is being recalled and outline the steps they should take if they have already purchased it. Please see the attached notice. A Food Standards Agency spokesman said: "If you have bought the product and have an allergy to barley do not eat it. Instead return it to the store from where it was bought for a full refund.

"No receipt required. For more information, please contact: Waitrose Customer Care 0800 188 884, option 4."

The spokesman added: "Sometimes there will be a problem with a food product that means it should not be sold. Then it might be 'withdrawn' (taken off the shelves) or 'recalled' (when customers are asked to return the product).

Sometimes foods have to be withdrawn or recalled if there is a risk to consumers because the allergy labelling is missing or incorrect or if there is any other food allergy risk. When there is a food allergy risk, the FSA will issue an Allergy Alert." Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is a significant cereal grain belonging to the grass family.

It ranks amongst the earliest cultivated grains in human history. In contrast to wheat, which is predominantly used for light, fluffy breads, barley possesses a chewier consistency and a characteristic nutty taste. Throughout the UK and worldwide, its main applications include brewing beer and distilling whiskey, adding body to soups, stews, and broths, and serving as livestock feed.

A genuine, IgE-mediated barley allergy (whereby the immune system mistakenly identifies barley proteins as a threat and triggers a rapid, potentially serious reaction) is exceptionally uncommon.

Due to its rarity as a standalone condition, UK health authorities such as the Food Standards Agency (FSA) do not maintain specific, separate statistics for barley allergies alone. Rather, it falls within wider groupings. Under UK food legislation, barley is designated as one of the 14 major allergens due to its gluten content. It sits alongside wheat, rye, and oats in this classification.

Approximately 2 million people across the UK have a confirmed food allergy, with an estimated 1% to 2% of adults (and up to 8% of children) affected by food allergies. While wheat allergy is reasonably widespread, isolated genuine allergies to barley typically only appear in two particular groups.

Baker's Asthma: A work-related respiratory allergy whereby bakers or factory workers develop asthma from breathing in raw grain dust (including barley flour). Beer Allergies: Rare cases where adults react specifically to the intact lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) left over in beer after the brewing process.

While a significant number of people in the UK strictly avoid barley, many do so not due to an allergy, but because they have Coeliac disease — an autoimmune condition in which gluten consumption triggers the body to attack its own small intestine. Coeliac disease affects approximately 1 in 100 people in the UK (roughly 680,000 individuals), though a considerable proportion remain undiagnosed. For those affected, the gluten found in barley can cause severe, long-term digestive and systemic harm.

A considerably larger group — estimated at 6 million people across the UK — suffer from general food intolerances or Non-Coeliac Gluten Sensitivity. While not life-threatening in the way a severe allergy can be, consuming barley can leave sufferers experiencing significant bloating, abdominal pain, and fatigue.

Given that barley presents a risk to both those with genuine grain allergies and those living with Coeliac disease, UK legislation requires that barley must always be highlighted — typically in bold — on ingredient labels.