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A Muslim woman from Derby was left angry and upset when she tasted an Aldi pasta sauce she thought contained bacon.

Rianne Ward said she was distraught when she tried the product, believing that she had betrayed her religion by consuming pork.

She had come back from work as a healthcare assistant to make herself and her son a pasta dish with a jar of Cucina creamy lasagne sauce from Aldi, in Burton Road, Derby.

The 39-year-old, who lives in Burton Road, said that she “smelt something odd” about the sauce, labelled as vegetarian.

Supermarket Aldi has contacted Derbyshire Live to reassure customers that the product is vegetarian and explained that the sauce has a distinctive smoked flavour.

Miss Ward said she was furious when she tasted the dish because she thought that it contained bacon, which Muslims are strictly forbidden from eating.

(Image: Derbyshire Live)

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.

“I just went in with the jar of sauce and made them smell it. I thought it must have been contaminated."

Having converted to Islam seven years ago, Miss Ward is familiar with the taste and odour of bacon.

She said: “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."

Miss Ward has since lodged a formal complaint with Aldi and has kept some of the dish in her fridge as evidence, still concerned that the sauce may have been contaminated.

(Image: Rianne Ward)

She told Derbyshire Live she’s hoping to be compensated for what has happened because she feels badly let down by the product and the company.

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."

A spokesperson from Aldi told Derbyshire Live that the product is vegetarian but does contain a smoked flavouring.

The spokesperson said: “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.”