Tainted milk stock already recalled

Advisory sent to all regions

ISLAMABAD: After a French manufacturer issued a global recall of certain batches of formula milk contaminated by bacteria, the apex drug regulator in the country has issued a public advisory over its use.

At least 26 children had fallen sick after consuming powdered milk contaminated with Salmonella. An advisory from the World Health Organization (WHO) prompted the French manufacturer to recall the product from countries across the world, including Pakistan.

On Sunday the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) also issued a public advisory regarding the use of the formula milk in view of the global recall. These particular batches were recommended for use in lactose intolerant infants.

Drap activated the Federal Inspectorate and Quality Assurance team for removing the implicated batches of the milk from the market.



The regulator also collected records of import transaction of these batches from France and initiated the recall process in collaboration with provincial governments of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration.

The governments have also been advised to monitor the recall process through their surveillance force.

Most of the stocks, Drap officials said, have been already recalled, thus a public issue was averted.

“As per information available to our quality assurance division, around 60-80 per cent of the product has already been recalled,” said Drap CEO Aslam Afghani.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 18^th, 2017.