UPDATE – Karicare formula – further precautionary advice

UPDATE – Karicare formula – further precautionary advice

The Ministry for Primary Industries has further expanded its precautionary advice about Karicare infant formula products.

Acting Director-General Scott Gallacher says the Ministry now recommends parents and caregivers avoid feeding two products from the Karicare range to their infants until freedom from contamination with the bacterium Clostridium botulinum can be confirmed.

“As of this evening, MPI has not been able to fully trace through Nutricia’s supply chain which specific batches of its products may contain contaminated whey protein, and which don’t, and whether affected batches are in New Zealand stores.

“It may be over the coming days, the company can provide this information which would allow me to be assured of the safety of these products.

“But in the meantime, I have decided to expand my precautionary advice and have issued another formal Director-General Statement under the Animal Products Act 1999 and the Food Act 1981,” Mr Gallacher says.

In this statement, MPI now advises that it cannot rule out the following Nutricia Karicare products as potentially contaminated and recommends they are not fed to children until further notice.
Nutricia Karicare Infant Formula Stage 1 for babies from birth
Nutricia Karicare Stage 2 Follow-on formula for children from six months old
MPI now recommends parents and caregivers use alternative products until further notice.

Please note, this evening’s Director-General Statement supersedes earlier advice from MPI at 12.30pm today. Advice may change again, once further information is available.

“Until we get more certainty around those Karicare products outlined above, I am asking parents not to use them and use an alternative product in the meantime,” Mr Gallacher said.

“MPI is working closely with industry and the Ministry of Health to ensure there are sufficient alternative infant formula products on the market, and we will be closely monitoring supply until this matter is resolved.”

Further information on the wider issue
Currently, there is no information to suggest any other infant formula products on the market in New Zealand are affected.

MPI and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade are working with regulatory authorities in the relevant international markets to provide them with new information in relation to this development as soon as possible.

More information will be published on the MPI website www.mpi.govt.co.nz  as soon as it becomes available.
Consumer support

If you have any health concerns, please call Healthline on 0800 611 116 or Plunketline on 0800 933 922 for advice.
If you have questions about a product, please call MPI’s consumer helpline on 0800 693 721.
Follow MPI on Twitter @MPI_NZ

Note: The Ministry of Health and the Ministry for Primary Industries support and encourage parents to breastfeed their infants until a year of age, and supplement their diet with appropriate solids from around 6 months of age. Infants under the age of one year who are not breastfed should be fed with an appropriate infant formula, and should not be fed with regular cow’s milk.

ENDS

[Director General satement: Director_General_Statement_2_Aug_4.pdf]

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