Infant formula update 4
Hon Tony Ryall
Minister of
Health
Hon Nikki
Kaye
Minister for Food
Safety
7 August 2013
Media Statement
Infant formula update 4
Health Minister Tony Ryall and Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye say Plunket nurses are today contacting as many Plunket mothers as they can who are using infant formula to ensure they are aware of the recall.
“And the Ministry of Health is discussing with Tamariki Ora WellChild providers to ensure they are passing on the information to their families using infant formula,” Mr Ryall says.
“The recalled products are Nutricia Karicare Stage 1 infant formula (0-6 months) – all batches and Nutricia Karicare Gold+ Stage 2 follow on formula (6-12 months) – all batches,” Ms Kaye says.
“The Government has committed funds towards advertising to assist the public information campaign,” Ms Kaye says.
“We want to ensure that this message is
accessible for parents and caregivers in New Zealand and
abroad. There will be documents in different languages
relating to the recall available on the Ministry for Primary
Industries (MPI) website.
“The Director-General of MPI
has held a press conference today outlining the processes
underway to trace and verify products and data.
“He
has advised the Ministerial response group that MPI’s
traceability work indicates that there is no contaminated
product beyond the two product lines recalled by Nutricia in
New Zealand,” Ms Kaye says.
Mr Ryall says the Ministry
of Health has sent advisories to GPs, paediatricians and
district health boards updating the current situation –
and it reports that to date, no notifications of cases of
infant botulism have been received.
“If families have any concerns whatsoever about their infants, they should contact their GP or call Healthline or Plunketline,” Mr Ryall says.
“This has been an anxious time for families using the infant formula for their babies, both in New Zealand and for families in other countries who depend on the infant formula,” Ms Kaye says.
“We hope they all access the information and advice widely available on the websites of the Ministries of Health and Primary Industries and Plunket.”
“Yesterday I visited the Plunket and
Healthline call centres to pass on our appreciation for the
work they are doing to keep families and the public
informed,” Mr Ryall says.
Mr Ryall says if people are
on a low income or receiving benefits, Work and Income may
be able to help with costs they are facing because of the
Karicare infant formula recall.
For more
information:
http://www.mpi.govt.nz/food/food-safety/whey-protein-contamination
http://www.plunket.org.nz/news-and-research/media-releases/infant-formula-recall/
or https://www.facebook.com/PlunketNZ
People can also get information and advice from Healthline 0800 611 116, Plunketline 0800 933 922, MPI’s consumer helpline 0800 693 721.
ENDS