Australian retailer Woolworths has recalled a vegetable character toy range by Jamie Oliver after it was discovered poorly attached parts are a choking hazard for children.
One of the eight fruit and vegetable characters, named Bean, has a stalk made out of wire which is “inconsistently finished” and able to pierce fabric and possibly cause injury, Australian news outlet NT News reported.
The other characters include Orange, Banana, Broccoli, Beetroot, Pear, Grape and Tomato, and all have now been nationally recalled.
“All characters may have poorly attached hands and feet which can come free from the main body and could result in a choking hazard for small children,”Woolworths said in a statement.
The news comes in a bad month for the celebrity chef’s presence in Australia, after the head of producer group Ausveg challenged a crate levy shouldered by growers whose produce is marketed under the Jamie’s Garden campaign.
Last week, Richard Mulcahy said additional costs associated with the promotional campaign could add up to hundreds-of-thousands of dollars for some growers.
Ausveg members are being charged 40 cents per crate by Woolworths to fund the 'Jamie's Garden' campaign, reportedly on top of an existing marketing levy.
After Mulcahy wrote to Oliver requesting he ask Woolworths to refund the money to farmers, a response from the chef’s team said he would bring up the issue at the next meeting, but ultimately is unable to refund the levy.
The letter said: ''Jamie, naturally, is concerned when he hears about small producers suffering financial hardship and your letter will be discussed with Woolworths further at our next senior-level meeting to ensure farmers are completely clear about the aims of the program.''
But it emphasised that Oliver is essentially in the pay of the retailer, and as such does not have the final say: “As I'm sure you know, Jamie is essentially an 'employee' of Woolworths and as such he has no sway regarding the commercial direction or negotiations that the Woolworths business takes.''
Ausveg has conceded that Oliver has been placed in a difficult position and confirmed its grievances are against Woolworths, reported the paper.
