A shopper was left flabbergasted after discovering a “may contain meat” warning on a tin of Tesco-branded vegan Bolognese.
The individual discovered the Lentil and Vegetable Bolognese, typically a plant-based product, in a “local community shop” with a label declaring it potentially unsuitable for vegetarians or vegans.
Confused by their find, the customer turned to Reddit, questioning whether this was a “common recall”. The tin bore a clear sticker indicating that the generally vegan-friendly item could contain meat.
Other users on the r/Tesco subreddit then began speculating about the issue with the canned soup.
The original poster queried: “Is this a common recall? I am not vegetarian or vegan but found this in my local community shop. How many ‘vegan’ products get pulled from shelves for containing meat? I assume it was a contaminated machine during the production or canning process but it got me thinking about how many slip through the net.”
Notably, the “rich & flavourful” meal was located in a local store and not in one of Tesco’s branches, despite the behemoth brand logo stamped on the tin. The front of the pot brandishes a perturbing sticker that warns: “May contain meat. Not suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans.”
In response, some advocated reporting the product to the Food Standards Agency, which should document reasons for any product recalls. Currently, there is no information available on the FSA site pertaining to these specific lentil and vegetable Bolognese cans.
A different individual observed: “If you’re concerned about vegan food being contaminated with meat don’t buy canned. Buy produce and make it yourself. The canned stuff probably comes from the same factory so you’re reliant on people actually doing their jobs correctly, which they often don’t.”
Another chimed in: “If they really want to be 100% safe, they should fund their own farms and food processing sites, raise all the animals and get all the produce and make it themselves.”
Tesco has been contacted for comment.
