By Megan Gorrey
A plant-based milk brand linked to a case of botulism has been forced to recall further products after some of its oat and almond milks were found to lack instructions to keep them in the fridge.
Inside Out on Thursday recalled its unsweetened almond milk which was found to contain a toxin that can cause botulism – a rare but serious paralysing illness – after a man was admitted to a Sydney hospital suffering severe symptoms having drunk the milk.
The almond and oat milks with a use-by date of May 18 were sold in Woolworths stores nationally.
Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) issued an alert on Saturday morning which said the company was expanding the recall to include two types of oat milk “due to missing storage instructions”.
The alert said the almond and oat milks, which were sold from the fridge section, were 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 alert said.
The products being recalled are: JS Health x Inside Out Unsweetened Almond Milk Collagen + Calcium + Prebiotics, 1 L; JS Health x Inside Out Unsweetened Oat Milk Collagen + Calcium + Prebiotics, 1 L; and JS Health x Inside Out Barista Oat Milk Collagen + Calcium + Prebiotics, 1 L.
The milks with a use-by date of May 18 were being sold at Woolworths nationally.
Inside Out Nutritious Goods said in a statement the milk must be kept refrigerated at all times.
“Consumers should not eat this product if it has not been kept refrigerated (stored below 4 degrees celsius). Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice.”
The food standards authority said the updated advice was triggered by an investigation into the initial recall of the unsweetened almond milk due to potential biotoxin contamination.
The initial alert was for the milk with a use-by date of March 1 being sold in Woolworths in NSW.
NSW Health said the case of contamination was identified when a person experienced severe symptoms of botulism after drinking the product, and was admitted to Royal North Shore Hospital for treatment.
Inside Out Nutritious Goods said on Saturday the initial recall was updated following a NSW Department of Primary Industries inspection of the company’s manufacturing facility, which found the facility was “in full compliance with the regulations and relevant standards”.
“This is a safety-first product recall and Inside Out is proactively co-operating with Food Standards Australia New Zealand, NSW Health, the NSW Food Authority and Woolworths. Inside Out is also engaging independent experts to investigate the matter,” the company said in a statement.
The company said the health and safety of its customers was its top priority, and workers took food safety, labelling, storage and handling instructions “extremely seriously”.
“We apologies for any distress or concern this has caused our loyal customers.
“Our thoughts are with the affected customer and we wish them a speedy recovery.”
Botulism is a rare but serious illness that causes descending paralysis caused by nerve toxins made by Clostridium botulinum bacteria.
NSW Health’s One Health branch director Keira Glasgow said that, while foodborne botulism is very rare in Australia, the toxin could be extremely dangerous and could cause life-threatening illnesses.
Glasgow said early symptoms included weakness, fatigue and vertigo. This is usually followed by blurred vision, dry mouth and difficulty swallowing. Nausea and vomiting may also occur.
These symptoms can progress to paralysis of the arm muscles and continue down the body to the trunk and legs. Paralysis of breathing muscles can be fatal.
“We are urging anyone who has consumed this product and experiences these serious symptoms to seek immediate medical attention by visiting their nearest emergency department or calling triple zero for emergency assistance,” Glasgow said.
Most cases of foodborne botulism recover if diagnosed and treated early.
Symptoms may begin from a few hours to several days after consuming the contaminated product.
with Kate Aubusson
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