Taiwanese businesses are recalling 29,928 canisters of Picot infant formula, after French group Lactalis warned that its products might be contaminated by a toxin, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.
FDA Food Safety Division head Hsu Chao-kai (許朝凱) told a news conference that the Taiwanese recall is “preventive,” as the lot number of affected batches did not match inspection records of shipments to Taiwan.
Lactalis on Wednesday issued a recall stating that batches of its formula milk, available at pharmacies and retailers, likely contained the toxin of Bacillus cereus, which is a substance that can cause diarrhea and vomiting.
Photo courtesy of the Food and Drug Administration
The private sector is voluntarily removing additional infant formula batches from the supply chain out of an abundance of caution, as the risks of their contamination could not be ruled out altogether, he said.
Consumers with Picot infant formula bearing the lot No. 8000003215, which was produced on Nov. 23 last year and expires on Nov. 16, should stop using the product and return it to the vendor, Hsu said.
Another shipment being recalled is still in transit at sea and would be dealt with separately, he said.
The FDA has invoked Article 7 of the Food Safety and Sanitation Act (食品安全衛生管理法) for importers to cooperate fully with the government to ensure the safety of their products, Lee said.
Neoangelac Plus, the Taiwanese company that sells Picot infant formula, on its Web site said its products are safe and that a “voluntarily preventive recall” has been authorized to protect consumers.
Lactalis said it is “proceeding with a voluntary recall of six batches of Picot infant milk, available in pharmacies and mass retail, due to the presence of cereulide in an ingredient supplied by a supplier,” referring to the toxin that can cause diarrhea and vomiting.
Lactalis did not name the supplier behind the tainted ingredient.
The infant formula industry has been rocked by recalls in recent weeks.
Singaporean authorities on Saturday recalled Dumex baby formula, a brand owned by French food giant Danone.
Danone said the authorities blocked just “a few pallets” of Dumex, indicating they were not yet on any store shelves.
Nestle also called back batches of infant milk in several European countries on Jan. 6.
Nestle France said it was carrying out a “preventive and voluntary recall” of certain batches of Guigoz and Nidal infant formulas after new investigations showed the potential presence of cereulide.
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