The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Tesco have issued an urgent warning for shoppers not to drink certain bottles of milk that carry a use-by date of Friday, July 31. The alert applies to semi-skimmed milk produced by Grahams Family Dairy and sold exclusively in Tesco's Scottish stores.
A formal product recall notice was issued on July 22 for milk bottles from the Stirling-based dairy. The affected products are the 1 Pint Semi Skim, 1 Litre Semi Skim, and 2 Litre Semi Skim, all with a use-by date of July 31.
Health Risk for People with Antibiotic Allergies
The FSA said the warning was prompted by concerns that a trace level of antibiotics may be present in the milk, which could cause a reaction in individuals with an allergy to antibiotics, particularly penicillin. Customers who have purchased any of the specified bottles are advised to return them to the store for a full refund.
Tesco confirmed the recall in its own notice, stating it is recalling the 1 litre semi-skimmed Grahams Dairy milk sold in its Scottish stores with the July 31 use-by date. The company said it believes a batch of milk has been contaminated by antibiotics.
Statement from Grahams Family Dairy
In a statement published by the FSA, Grahams Family Dairy said: "This is a precautionary measure we have taken as there is a small risk a trace level of antibiotics may be present in the milk which could cause a reaction to consumers with an allergy to antibiotics. If you have purchased any of these products, please do not consume. Instead, please return the milk to the store purchased from for refund. We apologise for this issue and would like to reassure our customers no other Grahams Family Dairies products or Use By Dates are affected."
The FSA added: "The presence of veterinary medicines, including antibiotics in the product may make it unsafe to consume and may be a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy to antibiotics (penicillin). If you have bought the above product, do not consume it. Instead, return it to where you bought it from for a full refund." Notices are being placed at points of sale so shoppers can check if they have purchased any affected milk.
