Third Recall of Pan Products
· Third Recall of Pan Products
·
· The Minister for
Food Safety Minister Annette King is ordering a third recall
in New Zealand of products manufactured by Australian
company Pan Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
·
· The New Zealand
Food Safety Authority has prepared for publication a third
recall notice and is advising people to stop taking the
products being recalled and to either dispose of them or
return them to place of purchase. The best disposal
method is in the rubbish bin.
·
· This latest recall
includes more than 700 products manufactured by Pan
Pharmaceuticals that are available in New Zealand. The
recall has been ordered under section 40 of the Food Act
1981. The penalties for non-compliance of the recall are a
fine of up to $2000 or imprisonment of up to three
months.
·
· “People may notice that this new list
contains some brands that already appear to have been
recalled. However we advise that where that is the case,
the batch numbers are different. We want to ensure that we
have recalled every batch of every product for sale or sold
in New Zealand manufactured by Pan Pharmaceuticals since 1
May 2002,” NZFSA Director of Policy and Regulatory
Standards, Carole Inkster said.
·
· The up-to-date
list of products is available on our website – http:// http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz
or by calling the helpline on 0800 693 721.
·
· The
second recall list is still to be published in newspapers
and we are working with them to try and combine the list of
products involved in the second and third recalls to be
published this week. The list of products in the first
recall has already been published.
·
· Ms Inkster
said it was hoped that this would be the last recall. To
date in New Zealand, more than 1800 products have been
recalled. However because the first two New Zealand recalls
were the same as the TGA recalls in Australia, some products
on the list were not sold in New Zealand.”
·
· “NZFSA
has been working around the clock to get the recall of these
products sorted out and we are hoping we now have included
the vast majority of products sold in New Zealand that are
manufactured by Pan Pharmaceuticals or have ingredients that
were manufactured by Pan,” Ms Inkster said.
·
· “We
have received about 1500 calls to our dietary supplements
helpline from people concerned about products they may have
been taking. Thousands of people have also visited our
website and we are also responding to inquiries through
that. Our helpline 0800 NZFSA1 (0800 693 721) will be open
from 8am to 8pm seven days a week until further notice.”
·
·
·
· Folic Acid
·
· “As well as
the recalls we are aware that there have been media reports
in Australia claiming pregnant women have been taking
substandard folate supplements. The Therapeutic Goods
Administration has rejected the claims and said pregnant
women have no cause for alarm,” Ms Inkster
said.
·
“In New Zealand we are advising pregnant
women who have been taking Pan Pharmaceuticals products,
including supplements that contain folate, that appear on
the recall list to stop taking them. However, not all
dietary supplements in New Zealand are implicated in the Pan
Pharmaceuticals recall. Anyone with any concerns about
their health should contact their
doctor.”