Quorn recalls its meat-free mince from shelves over fears it contains 'small pieces of metal'

Some 12,000 packs are affected by the recall

Quorn is a so-called mycoprotein meat substitute and is sold on its own, in ready-meals or in products that replicate burgers, sausages or chicken fillets (Quorn foods)

Quorn has recalled thousands of its vegetarian mince from supermarket shelves over fears it may contain pieces of metal.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) issued a stark warning to customers not to eat the product, particularly popular with vegetarian, but to return it to the shop where it was bought as it presents a safety risk.

Quorn confirmed that 12,000 packs of its "Frozen Meat Free Mince" have been recalled.

The 300g bags were only sold at Tesco supermarkets. They have the data code 136331 and a best before end date of 21 August 2018.

“No other batches or Quorn Foods products are known to be affected,” according to a statement from the FSA.

In a statement Quorn said the safety and well being of their customers is their "number one priority".

The company added that the recall was a precautionary measure relating to a "single batch of a single product".

Philippine instant noodles maker Monde Nissin bought the British meat substitute company Quorn Foods for £550m to capitalise on rising demand for health foods in 2015.

Quorn is a so-called mycoprotein meat substitute and is sold on its own, in ready-meals or in products that replicate burgers, sausages or chicken fillets.

The company previously claimed that it cut 60 billion calories from consumers' diets from 2010 to 2015, according to Reuters.