By Desie Heita
WINDHOEK – PureJoy apple juice has been recalled by the South African manufacturer of dairy brand Parmalat because the juice is contaminated with cleaning chemicals and unfit for consumption.
The contaminated batch is thought to be limited to the Western Cape, but Parmalat says consumers and distributors could have unwittingly moved the contaminated products to other geographical areas. The company made the announcement of the recall this week.
As a precautionary measure, all 200ml UHT PureJoy apple juice products with an expiry date of 14 and 15/12/2015 have subsequently been removed from shelf in the majority of retail and wholesale stores.
“To date, two complaints have been confirmed in connection with this incident. The 200ml UHT PureJoy apple juice complaints were followed up and the products in question were recovered for investigation. Parmalat’s investigation confirmed the products were contaminated with cleaning chemicals, making it unfit for consumption,” Parmalat spokesperson André Mahoney said in a statement.
Mahoney says initial investigations point to a factory problem that resulted in the release of a small number of packs that were contaminated with cleaning chemicals.
“All the unsold affected products have already been recalled from our distribution system, as well as, where possible, from the stores to which they were distributed. Our records indicate that the distribution for primary sale was most likely limited to the Western Cape, but we recognise that consumers or distributors could have taken the product into other areas,” he says.
Quality is the main pillar of Parmalat’s brand promise to consumers and as a result, any possible quality and safety problems receive immediate and urgent attention, the company said.