Plant-based milk brand Inside Out has been forced to recall a product in Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales (NSW), due to ‘potential biotoxin contamination’.
The product – JS Health x Inside Out Unsweetened Almond Milk Collagen + Calcium + Prebiotics – was pulled from shelves last week after it was linked to a case of botulism in NSW.
Botulism – a rare but life-threatening condition which attacks the nervous system, causing muscle paralysis and breathing difficulties – was diagnosed in a Sydney resident when he was admitted to hospital presenting severe symptoms after drinking the milk.
After Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) announced the recall on Twitter on 15 February it followed with an update the following day, alerting the public that the recall had been extended to include two variants of oat milk with use-by dates up to and including 18 May.
The notice stated that both types of chilled plant-based milks were ‘missing storage instructions’ and not labelled with directions to ‘keep refrigerated’. “Failure to refrigerate this product may lead to microbial growth and biotoxin contamination which may cause illness/injury if consumed,” the FSANZ warned.
In a statement on its website Inside Out commented that it takes food safety ‘extremely seriously’ and adopts a ‘safety-first’ approach to the health and safety of its customers.
Noting that the recall was voluntary, the company stated: “Inside Out is proactively cooperating with Food Standards Australia New Zealand, NSW Health, the NSW Food Authority and Woolworths [supermarket]. Inside Out is also engaging independent experts to investigate the matter. We apologize for any distress of concern this has caused our loyal customers.”
