Scam callers: Criminals are exploiting the analogue to digital switchover to scam vulnerable residents who use health care telephony devices into giving out personal information such as bank details. We have received reports from residents who have been contacted by fraudsters who claim that they need to transfer their services to digital. The criminals advise that you need to pay or renew telecare over the phone, claiming to be from the new provider, and they ask for bank details to set up a new direct debit. The digital switchover is free of charge and residents should be aware that councils and their home care alarm providers or contractors will never ask for personal or financial information over the phone. If you or someone you know depends on their landline or uses a telecare device connected to a phone line, such as a fall monitor, lifeline or personal alarm, you should notify the provider of this service so that they can advise on how the switch could affect you. If you have other devices connected to your phone line, such as alarm systems, you may need to upgrade your device to make sure it is compatible. If you are unsure about how a device in your home or business might be affected, it is recommended you contact the equipment supplier or device manufacturer to find out whether it will remain functional on a digital phone line. If you have provided any financial details to a scammer, contact your bank immediately. You should report this to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 and to us on 0808 223 1133.
Sweets warning: We are warning parents of unauthorised ingredients contained in imported American sweets and fizzy drinks with known links to hyperactivity and cancer in children that are readily accessible across UK highstreets. American Candy has grown in popularity over the last few years due to its promotion on social media channels. London alone has seen stores pop up in their hundreds across it’s highstreets. Smaller convenience stores across the UK are stocking these popular items on their shelves, and with an estimated 50,000 convenience stores this is a national concern. Some imported products like American confectionery weren't designed to be sold here, and they might contain additives that aren’t authorised to be sold in the UK. Consumers that buy them could be at risk from a lack of allergy labelling, or the inclusion of ingredients that don’t meet our high UK food safety standards. This warning comes following a number of incidents and intelligence received by the Food Standards Agency, and a pilot project they funded that was conducted by Staffordshire County Council’s Trading Standards team, which seized 3378 items with a street value of £8500 from local shops. A number of confectionary items imported from America, were seized, because they were not manufactured for the UK market as they contain unauthorised ingredients. These included:
Mountain Dew canned and bottled drinks of many varieties
Marinda
Sunny D
Swedish Fish
Dubble Bubble
Jolly Rancher gummies and hard candy
Hot Tamales
Twizzlers
Lemonhead
The American imported items that have been seized contained the following unauthorised additives not manufactured for the UK market:
Brominated Vegetable oil (BVO)
E127, Erythrosine (shown on US products as Red 3) – this is allowed in cocktail cherries, but not in sweets
Mineral Oil
Bleached Flour
When the following additives are used, a disclaimer is required to state that these additives can cause hyperactivity in Children:
Sunset yellow FCF (E110)
quinoline yellow (E104)
carmoisine (E122)
allura red (E129)
tartrazine (E102) - Yellow 5
ponceau 4R (E124)
And the following, which are allowed in food but not in drinks:
Calcium disodium EDTA (E385)
Erythorbic acid (E315)
There is evidence that E127 or Erythrosine, which is shown on American products as Red 3 can contribute to triggering hyperactive behaviour especially in children and while it’s still allowed in cocktail cherries, it shouldn’t be in sweets. Mineral oil carries the risk of contamination with other compounds, which in turn are capable of forming cancers. Calcium disodium EDTA is allowed in food but not in drinks. In animal studies it’s caused adverse reproductive and developmental effects and in mice has been shown to contribute to cancer of the colon. Additives are only authorised for use in the UK if they have been tested and proved to be safe for its intended use, in that particular type of food or drink; there is a justifiable technological need to use it; and its use does not mislead the consumer. We ask that all suppliers and retailers urgently remove items from sale that contain unauthorised ingredients. We also urge parents to be aware. If shop owners are unsure of what items are safe to sell, they should contact us for support and advice on 0808 223 1133. When consumers are checking whether the goods for sale are American imports or not the easiest way is to look at how the weight is recorded. In the UK we use grams and millilitres and in America it is fluid ounce and ounce. If the labelling shows American weights, it is an import and the food labelling needs to be compliant with UK laws, with no unauthorised ingredients in the produce.
Princes Group is recalling a number of canned bean products because they may contain small rubber balls, making them unsafe to eat.
Asda Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce Pack size: 200g Batch code: 3313 and 3314 Best before: end November 2025
Asda Mixed Bean Salad Pack size: 400g Batch code: 3293 and 3303 Best before: end October 2027
Branston Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce Pack size: 4 x 410g Plastic Wrapped Batch code: 3338 Best before: end December 2025
Sainsburys Baked Beans & Pork Sausages in Tomato Sauce Pack size: 400g Batch code: 3312 Best before: end November 2025
Tesco Mixed Bean Salad in Vinaigrette Pack size: 400g Batch code: 3299 Best before: end October 2025
Tesco Baked Beans & Pork Sausages in Tomato Sauce Pack size: 395g Batch code: 3312 Best before: end November 2025
If you have bought the above products, do not eat them. Instead, return them to the store from where they were bought for a full refund.
Tesco recalls Tesco Finest Apple & Cranberry Stuffing Mix because of the possible presence of moths. Pack size: 130g Best before: September 2024 If you have bought the above product do not eat it. Instead, return it to the store from where it was bought for a full refund. For further details, please contact Tesco Customer Services on 0800 505 555.