Batches of Aptamil baby formula being recalled in Germany due to possible toxin contamination were not imported into Taiwan, but people should avoid purchasing the product when traveling in Germany, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.
French food group Danone on Friday last week said it was recalling specific batches of its Aptamil baby formula in Germany due to possible contamination with cereulide, a toxin produced by Bacillus cereus bacteria.
The three batches of Aptamil baby formula being recalled in Germany are Aptamil Pronutra Pre (1.2kg) with a Nov. 19 expiration date; Aptamil Pronutra 1 DE (800g) with a Nov. 10 expiration date and Aptamil Profutura Pre D (800g) with an expiration date of April 20 next year, the FDA said.
Photo: Bloomberg
The FDA’s food import inspection record showed that as of Saturday, the recalled batches were not imported into Taiwan, so the FDA has assessed the incident as “green” in its consumer food safety system.
Food contaminated with B cereus generally does not show signs of spoilage or deterioration, the FDA said.
Cereulide is a toxin produced by certain strains of B cereus when it multiplies in food under suitable conditions, and could lead to food poisoning if the food is not thoroughly heated before eaten, it said.
The emetic form (nausea and vomiting) of food poisoning is mostly associated with contaminated rice or starchy food, while the diarrheal form is mostly linked to contaminated jams, salads, puddings, desserts and dairy products, it said.
With proper care — such as hydration, and replacing fluids and electrolytes lost due to diarrhea or vomiting — most affected people can completely recover from cereulide poisoning within one or two days, the FDA said.
While there is no record of importing the recalled products, local importers should avoid suspicious products, and if they have imported or used products suspected to be part of the recall alert, they should immediately verify it with the manufacturer, exporter or local supplier, it said.
They should also follow self-management regulations and suspend the sale or use of any such product, it added.
If businesses are notified by manufacturers or suppliers about recalls of imported products, they must immediately remove the items from shelves, notify consumers about returns or exchanges, and report to their local health department and the agency, the FDA said.
Prior to procurement, businesses should require manufacturers or suppliers to provide product test reports, or conduct hygiene tests as part of their assessments to ensure that all manufactured, sold or imported products comply with health and safety regulations, it said.
The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
Quarantine awareness posters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport have gone viral for their use of wordplay. Issued by the airport branch of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, the posters feature sniffer dogs making a range of facial expressions, paired with advisory messages built around homophones. “We update the messages for holidays and campaign needs, periodically refreshing materials to attract people’s attention,” quarantine officials said. “The aim is to use the dogs’ appeal to draw focus to quarantine regulations.” A Japanese traveler visiting Taiwan has posted a photo on X of a poster showing a quarantine dog with a
Taiwan’s coffee community has launched a “one-person-one-e-mail” campaign, calling for people to send a protest-e-mail to the World Coffee Championships (WCC) urging it to redesignate Taiwanese competitors as from “Taiwan,” rather than “Chinese Taipei.” The call followed sudden action last week after the WCC changed all references to Taiwanese competitors from “Taiwan” to “Chinese Taipei,” including recent World Latte Art champion Bala (林紹興), who won the World Latte Art Championship in San Diego earlier this month. When Bala received the trophy, he was referred to as representing Taiwan, as well as in the announcement on the WCC’s Web site, until it
RSS