A Muslim woman has been left fuming after she ate a lasagne sauce that she claims “tasted like bacon”.
Rianne Ward was shocked after purchasing the product from her local Aldi, to which her son bought her attention too after tasting the product. Ward converted to Islam seven years ago, and as such, abstains from eating pork.
The 39-year-old said the sauce – labeled vegetarian – smelled odd and believed it may have been ‘contaminated’. Then, she claims that it made her feel sick, and after eating it, she took the jar back to Aldi and made the staff smell it.
Speaking to the Derby Telegraph, she said:
“I just sat down and my young son said ‘Mummy, this smells like bacon’. When I ate it, it tasted just like bacon which made me feel sick. I was absolutely seething and went back down to the store.
“I just went in with the jar of sauce and made them smell it. I thought it must have been contaminated.”
Ward has since lodged a formal complaint and has kept the jar in her fridge as evidence. She is hoping she will be compensated by the supermarket as she feels she has ‘betrayed her religion’.
She said:
“I’m absolutely furious. I’ve been a Muslim for years now and avoided bacon for so long.”
“Then this happens. I felt like I’d betrayed my religion. Aldi have told me they are going to test the sauce to see if it has been contaminated. It’s just not on.”
Aldi has reassured Ward that the sauce is meat-free, despite its distinctive smoked taste.
In a statement, an Aldi spokesperson said: “We are sorry to hear Ms Ward is unhappy with this product but can reassure her that our lasagne sauce is completely meat free. The product is flavoured with smoked salt which gives the distinctive taste.”
Last year, campaigners raised concerns that processed meats, such as bacon, contain nitrites, which result in carcinogenic nitrosamines, believed to be responsible for bowel cancer.
Speaking to Sky News they said:
“There is a consensus of scientific opinion that nitrites in processed meats result in the production of carcinogenic nitrosamines – and therefore increase cancer risk for those who regularly consume traditional bacon and ham.
“For these reasons, we are concerned that not enough is being done to raise awareness of nitrites in our processed meat and their health risks, in stark contrast to warnings regularly issued regarding sugar and fattening foods.
“We must work together to raise awareness of their risks and encourage the much wider use of nitrite-free alternatives that are safer and can reduce the number of cancer cases.”
The mother from Derby said she’s hoping to be compensated for the incident because she feels extremely let down by the product and Aldi.
Source: TapHaps, Derbyshire Live, Derby Telegraph, Sky News
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