1.5L bottles of Pure Tassie apple and blackcurrant juice recalled

Almost 7000 bottles of a Tasmanian-made juice have been recalled across Australia and Asia. See the full list of stores where it was sold and check if it’s in your fridge.

ALMOST 7000 bottles of Pure Tassie apple and blackcurrant juice have been recalled after testing revealed an elevated level of a toxic fungi which “mostly occurs in rotten apples”.

The recall applies to any 1.5 litre bottles with a best before date of October 6, 2020.

The juice, produced by Tasmanian-owned company Juicy Isle using “organic fruit sourced from local orchards”, was found to be contaminated with mycotoxin patulin.

Juicy Isle CEO Paul Mealor said the affected batch included 6840 bottles, with 5600 shipped interstate, 1200 exported to Hong Kong and Singapore, and 400 sold in Tasmania between January 1 and March 5.

“Juicy Isle has been producing juices for nearly 50 years and prides itself on its ongoing quality,” Mr Mealor said.

“Regretfully, a batch of Pure Tassie apple and blackcurrant juice has not met these standards and we are performing a voluntary recall.”

Mr Mealor said the issue was discovered through routine testing in Hong Kong, and additional measures would be taken to ensure it “remains an isolated incident”.

He said the product may cause nausea or potentially lead to vomiting.

“In Tasmania, the product was sold through a number of IGA and Hill Street Grocer stores,” Mr Mealor said.

“Consumers should avoid consuming this particular batch of juice and return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.

“We regret that we have let our consumers and customers down on this occasion and apologise for any adverse impacts or inconvenience we have put them through.”

The Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety (CFS) first issued an alert about the juice on their website on April 17.

“The test result showed that the sample contained patulin at a level of 260 parts per billion, exceeding the action level of 50 ppb adopted by the CFS,” a spokesman said.

“Patulin mostly occurs in rotten apples and its products. For humans, nausea, gastrointestinal disturbances and vomiting have been reported.”

Food Standards Australia and New Zealand published a similar notice on Friday, April 24.

“Food products contaminated with mycotoxins (patulin) may cause illness if consumed,” it reads.

“Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice and should return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund.”

For further information please contact Juicy Isle Pty Ltd on [phone] or www.juicyisle.com.au