(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Dubai Municipality has not received any recall alert A preliminary investigation by the Dubai Municipality on Wednesday found no nut butter products linked to an international recall due to salmonella infection in the market here despite a Press release from the company stating that the products are sold in the UAE.
International agencies reported that a unit of Hain Celestial Group Inc. is recalling some peanut and almond butter because of possible salmonella contamination.
The company said on Tuesday that there have been reports of four illnesses that may be related to the nut butters. They were sold under the brand names Arrowhead Mills peanut butters and MaraNatha almond butters and peanut butters. Also being recalled were some lots of private label almond butter from grocers Whole Foods Trader Joe’s Kroger and Safeway. A total of 45 production lots are affected.
They were sold in Canada the Dominican Republic Hong Kong the UAE and the US a Press release issued by the manufacturing unit of Hain Spired Natural Foods Inc said on the website of the US Food and Drug Administration. It said it learned of the contamination risk after routine FDA testing.
When contacted Fatima Al Zahra Al Za’abi senior food studies and surveys officer at the Food Control Department of Dubai Municipality said the civic body did not receive any recall alert from the International Food Safety Authorities Network (Infosan). “Usually if any product sold here is recalled we get an alert from Infosan. We have not got an information regarding this case” she told Khaleej Times.
The official said a search in its registry found that the parent company was not registered with the municipality. “We checked the website of the Canadian FoodInspection Agency and none of the products listed in the recall on their site was found in our system” she said.
Al Za’abi said further investigation would be conducted to conclusively rule out the presence of the affected products in the market. “If nothing is found here we’ll contact the FDA and Infosan to check how the UAE’s name was mentioned among the countries where the products are recalled.”
Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children frail or elderly people and those with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever diarrhea (which may be bloody) nausea vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e. infected aneurysms) endocarditis and arthritis.
The company’s statement said consumers do not need to return the product to the store where it was purchased. Instead consumers were urged to dispose of the recalled product and its container. The company also offered replacement or refund for consumers in the US.
No comment was immediately available from the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA).
sajilakhaleejtimes.com
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