Cross-contamination as Woolworths recalls products
Staff Writer | Tuesday May 23, 2023 06:00
The voluntary recall of the foodstuffs regards Woolworth’s branded Smoked Chicken Viennas, Cocktail Chicken Viennas and Halaal Smoked Chicken Viennas products with immediate effect.
The recall is due to the presence of milk proteins in the implicated products. According to a press release from Director of Health Services, Dr Pamela Smith-Lawrence this is a result of cross-contamination with cheese during production, hence the implicated products do not have the allergy warning labelling, per the Labelling of Pre-Packaged Foods Regulation, S.1. 15, 2003.
“Therefore, the products pose health risks to potential consumers who have an allergy to cow’s milk and may experience an adverse reaction after consuming them. As a precautionary measure, the ministry urges consumers not to consume the affected products. Kindly note that all other related products outside the sell-by date indicated, are unaffected and not part of the recall,” Smith-Lawrence said. Consumers have been advised to check the packaging for the sell-by date (May 27, 2023).
Furthermore, according to the press release, all products with these sell-by dates are subject to recall. “Woolworth’s Botswana (Pty) Ltd has notified all its retail stores to remove and stop selling the above-affected products with immediate effect.
The Ministry of Health will continue to collaborate with Local Authorities and ports of entry to monitor the situation so that appropriate measures are taken to recall the implicated products per the Food Control (Food Safety Alerts and Recall Procedures) Regulation, SI 198 of 2018.” Customers have also been advised to return the affected product to any Woolworth's store for a full refund.
The Ministry of Health has also advised people to contact environmental health offices in local authorities for further clarification if needed.