Recall of Similac GainPlus product contaminated with bacteria.
On August 3rd, the Food Safety Department of the Ministry of Health received a voluntary recall notice for Similac GainPlus Eye-Q infant formula for children aged 1-3 years, in 400g and 900g cans, manufactured under contract in New Zealand by Fonterra under contract with Abbott, due to contamination with Clostridium Botulinum bacteria, which had been imported into Vietnam.
On August 3rd, the Food Safety Department of the Ministry of Health received a voluntary recall notice for Similac GainPlus Eye-Q infant formula for children aged 1-3 years, in 400g and 900g cans, manufactured under contract in New Zealand by Fonterra under contract with Abbott, due to contamination with Clostridium Botulinum bacteria, which had been imported into Vietnam.
Illustrative image. (Source: VFA)
Earlier that same day, the Food Safety Department received information from the New Zealand Embassy in Vietnam informing them that the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries had discovered that infant formula products containing Whey Protein Concentration, manufactured by Fonterra New Zealand and exported to Vietnam, China, Australia, and Saudi Arabia, were contaminated with Clostridium Botulinum.
This includes products imported into Vietnam by 3A Nutrition Co., Ltd., address: 72-74 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, on June 17, 2013 and July 3, 2013.
Immediately after receiving the information, the Food Safety Department contacted 3A Nutrition Co., Ltd. and the Abbott Laboratories SA representative office in Vietnam, requesting a detailed report on the import of the aforementioned product.
On the same day, the Food Safety Department received a report from Abbott Laboratories SA's representative office in Vietnam regarding the import and voluntary recall of this product from the market.
According to a report from Abbott Laboratories SA's representative office in Vietnam, the imported product is Similac GainPlus Eye-Q infant formula for children aged 1-3 years, in 400g and 900g cans, manufactured under contract in New Zealand by Fonterra.
The product batches that may be contaminated with Clostridium Botulinum bacteria include 2564G54114, 2564G54115, 2564G54116, 2564G54117, 2564G54118, 2565G54118, 2565G54119, 2566G54119, 2567G54119, and 2567G54120.
The aforementioned product has been granted a Certificate of Conformity with Food Safety Regulations No. 6050/2012/ATTP-XNCB dated November 30, 2012, by the Food Safety Administration.
Following a report from Abbott Laboratories SA's representative office in Vietnam, the Food Safety Department issued Official Letter No. 1579/ATTP-SP dated August 3rd to Abbott's representative office in Vietnam, requesting them to immediately stop the distribution and recall the relevant products on the market, including the aforementioned batches of Similac GainPlus Eye-Q, and to report the results to the Food Safety Department before August 9th.
The Department also issued Official Letter No. 1580/ATTP-SP dated August 3rd to the National Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene Testing requesting them to conduct testing of Similac GainPlus Eye-Q formula for children aged 1-3 years and report the results to the Food Safety Department before August 6th, 2013.
Currently, the Food Safety Department is continuously updating information from the WHO/FAO Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) and the New Zealand Embassy in Vietnam to inform consumers.
According to Vietnam+ - LT