Similac baby milk products on display. Pic: Qassim Rahmatullah
DOHA: Popular infant formula Similac Gain Plus from New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra has been recalled from the local market following reports about contamination of some batches of the product.
Several countries including Saudi Arabia have already ordered a recall of the contaminated batches and stopped further imports. In a statement issued late night the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning said, it had taken the necessary “precautionary steps” regarding the contaminated product.
“We have taken all precautionary measures that we take on such occasions such as confiscating all the stocks and collecting samples to be tested in the government laboratories,” said the statement. “We are now coordinating with the different bodies concerned in this regard and we are keen to ensure the safety of food available in the market,” it added.
The Ministry said that the move was prompted by similar measures taken by several countries regarding the tainted product. The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) on Sunday said that all tainted batches of the infant formula awaiting clearance at the Kingdom’s ports have been destroyed and the existing stocks have been recalled from the market. Fonterra had said that some of its exported milk powder products including infant formula may contain the toxic bacteria Clostridium botulinum, that could lead to botulism, a potentially fatal illness.
Similac Gain Plus milk powder for children aged 1 to 3 years is still being sold in Qatar but it is not clear if the stocks include any contaminated batches. A popular hypermarket in Doha and a pharmacy inside its premises were found to be selling Gain Plus products manufactured in Ireland and Spain by the US-based Abbott Laboratories. However, Abbot infant formula by Fonterra was not found.
“Similac Gain Plus is a very popular infant formula which is in high demand. We have not received any instructions from the authorities to stop sale of the product,” said a source at the hypermarket last evening.
“If any batches of the tainted product are available in the market, we will definitely get an alert from the manufactures and the suppliers,” said a senior official.
On Saturday New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries said that the tainted products were shipped to Saudi Arabia and some other countries like Australia, China, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
