A Muslim mum has demanded her pasta sauce be tested in a lab over fears it contains bacon.
Rianna Ward was distraught after eating a Aldi lasagne sauce which tasted suspiciously porky, despite being labelled as vegetarian.
The 29-year-old started to fix her son some dinner with a jar of creamy Cucina lasagne sauce after coming home from her job as a health care assistant.
Islamic convert Rianne said she "smelt something odd" as the sauce was cooking and is now convinced the product contains bacon, which Muslims are forbidden from eating, Derby Telegraph reported.
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.
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“I just went in with the jar of sauce and made them smell it. I thought it must have been contaminated.
"There was no bacon in it because it had a vegetarian label but a staff member kept telling me it was a carbonara sauce.
"It isn’t. It’s just a white sauce but that shouldn't explain why it tastes like bacon."
Having converted to Islam seven years ago, Rianne is familiar with the taste and odour of bacon.
She has lodged a formal complaint with Aldi and has kept some of the dish in the fridge as evidence.
The mum feels badly let down by the experience and is hoping to be compensated.
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She added: “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."
An Aldi spokesperson reassured customers that the product is vegetarian but has a distinctive smoked flavour.
They added: “We are sorry to hear Miss Ward is unhappy with this product and can reassure her the lasagne sauce is completely meat free.
"The product is flavoured with smoked salt which gives it its distinctive taste.”
